FIFA President Sepp Blatter was set to be returned unopposed for another four-year term on Wednesday, but the woes surrounding soccer's governing body deepened with fresh calls for a probe into Qatar being awarded the 2022 World Cup.
Germany's call for a re-examination of Qatar's winning of the bidding process for that event was just the latest twist in a corruption scandal that has plunged soccer into its worst crisis and alarmed the game's global sponsors.
Only hours before Blatter was due to stand unopposed for president, the head of Germany's soccer federation, Theo Zwanziger, said he did not expect that vote to be delayed or postponed but did call for the probe into Qatar.
"There is a considerable degree of suspicion that one cannot simply sweep aside, and I must expect that awarding this World Cup under these conditions needs to be examined anew," he told German television.
Swiss Blatter, 75, has run soccer's world governing body since 1998 and led it through a period of unprecedented prosperity on the sale of TV rights and sponsorship.
But the game's reputation has been cast under the microscope after a spate of corruption allegations, the suspension of two senior FIFA officials and suggestions Qatar bought the World Cup, which the Gulf state has strenuously denied.
INTERNAL CHAOS
In another twist, Chuck Blazer — an American whose whistle-blowing led to the suspension of the two FIFA executives including Blatter's only rival for the presidency Mohamed Bin Hammam — was sacked on Tuesday from his position on the regional soccer body CONCACAF.
An hour later, though, that body for North and Central America and the Caribbean declared the dismissal invalid.
The internal chaos magnified the drama surrounding the FIFA Congress in Zurich, where the English Football Association is leading calls for the presidential vote to be postponed.
The only way Blatter will not be given a new term is if the congress proposes and passes a motion to call off the election with the support of 75 percent of voting delegates.
That is unlikely to happen. Since Blatter became president, the governing body has grown rich thanks to its ability to generate billions of dollars from television rights to major tournaments as well as sponsorship deals with large corporations.
Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey called for swift FIFA reform while Asian anger grew over FIFA's handling of Bin Hammam, the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation who was suspended following bribery allegations.
"We are planning to make our voices heard," Nepal's AFC vice-president Ganesh Thapa told Singapore's Straits Times newspaper. Mohamed Hammam has been a great leader for Asia. (What FIFA has done) is not fair play."
"GROSSLY INSULTED"
The drama crossed the Atlantic late on Tuesday when the CONCACAF region's acting president Lisle Austin — standing in for the suspended Jack Warner, the second executive implicated in a cash-for-votes scandal highlighted by Blazer — sacked Blazer as general secretary of the region's soccer body.
Blazer had "grossly insulted" Caribbean delegates by suggesting they were all being investigated for bribery, said Barbadian Austin, who is seen as a close ally of Warner.
Both Bin Hammam and Warner have denied any wrongdoing.
Blazer responded with a statement issued by CONCACAF's media department in New York that said the move was "unauthorised" and that the American remained in office.
Blatter, meanwhile, has insisted soccer is not in crisis.
He told the opening ceremony of the congress in Zurich on Tuesday that FIFA faced dangers, while sombre delegates spoke of little else but the gloom surrounding the organisation.
The crisis at FIFA, which Blatter called "a little difficulty" on Monday, has triggered criticism from around the world.
Among those backing moves to stop Blatter were English FA President Prince William, who was "fully supportive" of the proposal to postpone the vote and who "considers the transparency of the international governing body to be integral to the good governance of the game," said a spokeswoman for St James's Palace.
KEY ISSUE
Swiss President Calmy-Rey told delegates that FIFA needed to "take seriously" the criticisms voiced about corruption.
"It is important you examine them swiftly and take the necessary measures to reform your governance. It is of the utmost importance because your organisation should be an example not only to young people but to the world at large.
"What is important is to restore full confidence in the organisation; let not money spoil your ideals," she added. Sponsors also spoke out.
Visa Inc and Emirates Airlines were the latest of FIFA's most important sponsors, or Partners as the governing body calls them, to express disquiet at the allegations of corruption, following in the steps of Coca-Cola and Adidas who had earlier voiced concern.
"The current situation is clearly not good for the game and we ask that FIFA take all necessary steps to resolve the concerns that have been raised," Visa Europe said in a statement.
Emirates airline said it was "disappointed with the issues that are currently surrounding the administration of the sport".
The other two members of the six-strong group of Partners, Sony and Hyundai-Kia , have made no comment.
"They should postpone the election and really clear up everything, take some time and then hold a new election," Sylvi Schenk, sports advisor for the Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International, told Reuters.
