0
AUCKLAND: The Oceania Football Confederation believes it has the right to appoint a new Fifa representative to replace suspended vice-president Reynald Temarii, to retain a voice in deciding venues for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Oceania officials met Saturday and reached the resolution which attempts to clear the way for the confederation to send its acting president, David Chung, to Zurich next week as the 23rd voting member of Fifa’s ruling panel.
“An enquiry has been made to Fifa to seek further clarification on this and no further comment will be made until such time as Fifa has responded,” the OFC said in a statement.
Fifa previously said Temarii cannot be replaced while he’s appealing the suspension imposed following an ethics probe prompted by an undercover newspaper sting which alleged bribe-taking and vote-rigging in the World Cup bidding process.
Fifa said 43-year-old Temarii was sanctioned for breaching three principles in its ethics code relating to loyalty and confidentiality by speaking with reporters posing as lobbyists looking to buy votes.
Saturday’s move by the OFC follows reports that it would seek to have Temarii waive his right to appeal his Fifa ban, clearing the way for his replacement. The OFC would then have allowed Temarii to keep his presidency by delaying an election scheduled in 2011 until his one-year Fifa ban expires.
It stopped short on Saturday of asking Temarii to waive his appeal and will now test its belief that it can appoint a replacement for its suspended representative.
Football protocol normally requires Fifa’s six confederations to hold a full congress of member nations to choose its delegates to the world governing body.
However, Oceania believes it can install Chung as a Fifa voting member when its confederation’s 11 member countries are represented.
Oceania elevated Chung from vice president’s role when Temarii was provisionally suspended by Fifa on October 20.
The Papua New Guinea official said last week he was satisfied that Fifa found Temarii breached only “minor clauses” in the ethics code, and that Oceania would support his appeal.
If allowed to vote, Chung would likely be mandated to support Australia’s bid in the 2022 vote, which includes the United States, Japan, South Korea and Qatar.
The Sunday Times reported that Temarii was backing the Spain-Portugal bid in the 2018 World Cup race against England, Russia and Belgium-Netherlands.
The Oceania executive committee also decided on Saturday that it would not attempt to immediately replace executive member Ahongalu Fusimalohi from Tonga, who got a three-year Fifa ban.
The statement said “no replacement will be sought for the vacant OFC executive committee position while the appeal process is still open to Mr. Fusimalohi.”
