European MPs chide absent FIFA candidates

By Mike Collett BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European MPs reacted angrily on Wednesday after a debate between candidates for the FIFA presidency was cancelled because four of the five contenders declined to show up. The candidates had sent a bad signal to football fans around the world at a time when FIFA is mired in scandal, the MPs said. A total of five men are standing to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter as head of football's world governing body. But only Frenchman Jerome Champagne turned up in Brussels for the planned debate. The other four contenders are Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan, South African politician and businessman Tokyo Sexwale, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, and Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain. "Where did the candidates go? What spooked them? Who or what stood to gain by making sure the event we had planned today did not happen?," said Bonita Mersiades, co-founder of the New FIFA Now pressure group and chair of the meeting. "I do know who stands to lose -- its football. You would hope after the events of the last eight months the five men vying to be president of FIFA...might actually get this." FIFA is in the throes of an unprecedented crisis, with criminal investigations into the sport underway in the United States and Switzerland. Blatter and European football boss Michel Platini have been banned for eight years each. A total of 41 individuals and entities, including many former FIFA officials, have been charged with corruption-related offences in the United States. Swiss authorities are also investigating whether corruption played a role in FIFA's awarding of World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar. The debate, due to be held at the European parliament in Brussels on Wednesday and broadcast by U.S. sports network ESPN, collapsed after Prince Ali and Sexwale withdrew at 48 hours' notice. Ali claimed "political interference" -- a reason MEP Marc Tarabvella described as "utterly ridiculous". Infantino originally said he would send a video link, while Salman said he would not come because of Asian confederation commitments. "It is a terrible signal to football fans worldwide because if proves these candidates are not suited to guarantee the integrity FIFA so badly needs," European MEP Ivo Belet of Belgium said. British MEP Emma McClarkin said: "It's the fans I feel sorry for thinking that after Sepp Blatter stepped down there was light at the end of the tunnel. Instead these candidates have scored a massive own goal for FIFA today." The FIFA president is chosen by the 209 national football associations which are affiliated to it, each holding one vote. Infantino's bid for the presidency was boosted last Friday when he won overwhelming backing from Europe's football associations. (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Angus MacSwan)