MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — Arrests of FIFA officials upon the request of US authority is an unauthorized attempt to manipulate the sports body's presidential election and remove the incumbent Blatter, sports lawyers told Sputnik on Friday.
"The request of staying of the elections, if it is not a direct breach or a violation to FIFA’s principles, surely it is an unauthorized influence and interference inside an ongoing process. Indeed, the operation at stake demonstrates again the ‘American way’ to deal with international issues," Lucio Colantuoni and Venturi Ferriolo, prominent international sports lawyers, the director and a member of Italy’s Centro Studi Diritto Sport and Sports Law Research Center respectively, told Sputnik.
Blatter has been a vocal supporter of Russia hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
"Eventually, aside such well-timed initiative by the USA, we are assisting to a clear attempt to manipulate the 65th FIFA Congress and therefore to put a strong pressure on Blatter’s candidature," the lawyers continued.
Several new FIFA members, including South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe received FIFA approval ahead of the Friday election to cast their votes. Initially, two nominees — four-time incumbent Blatter, who has been FIFA president since 1998, and current FIFA Vice President for Asia, Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan — were running for the FIFA presidency.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the United States is attempting to block the reelection of Blatter and is trying to spread its jurisdiction to other countries by initiating the Wednesday FIFA arrests.
