Bin Hammam eyes changes to remain in power: Velappan

Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed bin Hammam is pushing for constitutional changes in an apparent bid to deny Bahrain’s FA chief a FIFA post, according to a former official.

Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa is expected to challenge Bin Hammam for the executive committee seat in May when the Qatari’s term expires.

Peter Velappan, AFC secretary-general for 30 years, told AFP constitutional amendments proposed Tuesday were designed to “protect his (Bin Hammam’s) fragile position”.

The first amendment, which would need AFC congress approval in May, states that the AFC president should also serve as a FIFA vice president.

The second states that candidates for the positions of AFC president and FIFA executive committee must have served on the AFC executive committee for at least one four-year term “and it must have been during the preceding term”.

“Both the changes are designed to keep him in power. It is an attempt to consolidate his position as a dictator. But there is already a strong movement to dispose of the Qatari,” Velappan said.

Bin Hammam would need a two-thirds majority to make constitutional changes, he said. The AFC congress will take place on May 8 in Malaysia.

His tenure as AFC president ends in 2011 but the New Straits Times newspaper has reported that the tussle for the FIFA job could be “the first step towards mounting a challenge against Bin Hammam for the top (AFC) post”.

The newspaper said this week that “judging from the support expressed, Shaikh Salman has a decent chance of winning the coveted (FIFA) seat”.

Velappan said that in 2007 the AFC rejected Bin Hammam’s attempt to introduce the first of the proposed constitutional changes because officials felt it was undemocratic.

“West Asia except Qatar opposes Bin Hammam. The Arabs reject him. China, South Korea and Malaysia are totally against the Qatari. Members are fed up with Bin Hammam’s behaviour,” he said.

Velappan has said that Bin Hammam should quit his post as AFC president if he loses the FIFA seat, which he said would signal a vote of no confidence.

In recent months Bin Hammam has come under fire after pushing a controversial plan to shift the AFC headquarters from Malaysia.

FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon has reportedly criticised Bin Hammam’s plan, saying it was “unwise and does not reflect the other member’s stand.”

“I wonder where he got the idea. Most of the time, Bin Hammam seems to be acting on his own. Many member associations are not in favour of this move and yet he insists,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.