Chung heads to FIFA hoping to vote
Reuters - Monday 29 November 2010, 12:46
SINGAPORE, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Oceania's acting football president David Chung is to fly to Zurich on Monday in the hope
FIFA will allow him to take part in the vote to select the 2018
and 2022 World Cup hosts.
The Papua New Guinean heads to the headquarters of world football's governing body FIFA as acting president of the Oceania
Football Confederation (OFC) after Tahitian Reynald Temarii was
suspended for a year.
A source close to the OFC told Reuters on Monday that
Temarii, who was banned this month by FIFA after it found he had
breached general rules of ethics and loyalty, would not appeal
against the ban which should open the door for Chung to vote in
his place in Zurich.
However, Temarii's lawyer Geraldine Lesieur said a decision
had not yet been made on whether or not to appeal against the
ban.
"I cannot confirm that Mr Temarii is not going to appeal the
ban, simply because we are waiting for FIFA's detailed
explanations of the suspension," she told Reuters by telephone.
"I sent a letter to FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke
asking him for these explanations."
The World Cup host nations will be selected on Thursday by
FIFA's executive committee members. If FIFA does allow Chung to
replace the banned Temarii he would be the 23rd voting executive
committee member.
England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands are
bidding to host the 2018 World Cup with Japan, South Korea,
Australia, Qatar and United States the candidates for 2022.
Temarii had been Oceania's only representative on FIFA's
executive committee until his suspension from all soccer-related
activity.
The OFC met in Auckland on Saturday and said it believed it
had the right to replace Temarii for the remainder of his term.
When contacted by Reuters the OFC was unable to confirm that
Temarii had decided not to appeal his ban, but did say Chung was
heading to Zurich.