Tag Archives: presidential

Zinedine Zidane contender to replace Laurent Blanc as France manager

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ZZ top contender for France job: Zidane in frame to replace Blanc as Les Bleus boss

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UPDATED:

10:01 GMT, 5 July 2012

Zinedine Zidane has emerged as a strong contender to replace Laurent Blanc as France boss.

Despite having no coaching experience, the 40-year-old is being seriously considered for the post by French FA chief Noel le Graet, according to L'Equipe.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has already turned down the post, while Didier Deschamps, the next man on their wish list, has reservations.

Allez! Zidane (right) has emerged as a contender for the vacant France job

Allez! Zidane (right) has emerged as a contender for the vacant France job

Zidane admitted at the weekend that he was ready to go into coaching, having served as a presidential adviser and now first-team director at Real Madrid.

Le Graet reacted warmly, saying: 'I find it very charming that he has expressed a desire to be close to France’s team.

'He dreams of coaching France within a decade. It is very gratifying.'

His otherwise glorious football career ended ignominiously when he planted his head into Marco Materazzi’s chest and was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final.

Disappointment: France endured another fractious tournament

Disappointment: France endured another fractious tournament

And France will wonder if he is the type of character to whip into shape a group of players who have had a penchant for revolt against authority in recent tournaments.

A poll on the L'Equipe shows fans already delivering a resounding 'Non' to the idea, with three quarters of the first 20,000 respondents against Zidane's appointment.

Blanc left after the team were knocked out by Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.

Le Graet hopes to hold further talks with Deschamps, who quit as Marseille boss this week.

All change: France Football chief Le Graet is planning for the future

All change: France Football chief Le Graet is planning for the future

Mohamed Bin Hammam to make final bid to escape FIFA ban

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Last chance saloon for Bin Hammam as he attempts to escape FIFA lifetime ban

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UPDATED:

17:11 GMT, 17 April 2012

Mohamed Bin Hammam will make his final bid to overturn his lifetime FIFA ban for bribery on Wednesday.

The Qatari is taking an appeal against the ban, which was imposed by FIFA's ethics committee in July, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.

Bin Hammam was banned for life after being found guilty of paying cash gifts totalling nearly 1million US dollars (630,000) to football officials from Caribbean countries during his FIFA presidential campaign last May.

Trouble: Mohamed Bin Hammam (right) accompanied by FIFA Vice President Austin Jack Warner

Trouble: Mohamed Bin Hammam (right) accompanied by FIFA Vice President Austin Jack Warner

The 62-year-old, who had also been president of the Asian Football Confederation, failed to overturn the ban at FIFA's appeals committee in September and the CAS panel remains his last chance.

Bin Hammam is not expected to attend the hearing in person but to leave the legal arguments to his lawyers. FIFA will also have their legal team arguing that the bribery charges had been proved and that the lifetime ban was just.

The charges were brought after a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union in Trinidad on May 11 last year arranged to hear Bin Hammam while on the campaign trail.

Unopposed: Sepp Blatter was re-elected

Unopposed: Sepp Blatter was re-elected

According to a FIFA ethics committee
report, witnesses said after Bin Hammam's speech, then FIFA
vice-president Jack Warner instructed delegates to go to a room to pick
up gifts – these turned out to be brown envelopes each containing 40,000
US dollars in cash.

According to the witnesses, Warner told delegates that Bin Hammam 'was the actual source of the money', the report states. Warner resigned from all football activities in June after being charged with bribery.

Bin Hammam pulled out of FIFA presidential contest and Sepp Blatter was re-elected unopposed.

After his lifetime ban, Bin Hammam – who spearheaded Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup – insisted he would never stop fighting to clear his name.

he will not relent in his bid to clear his name

Never back down: Bin Hammam said he will not relent in his bid to clear his name

He said in August: 'I was found guilty beyond any doubt by a kangaroo court and banned for life.

'I will not rest no matter what tactical delays, forgery or bias are put against me. I will continue my battle until I prove my innocence and that my suspension was a political decision and an absolute abuse of power to deprive me of my right to contest for FIFA presidency.'

The CAS hearing is expected to last for two days with the decision being announced within the next month.

Bin Hammam has also gone to CAS to try stop the Asian Football Confederation replacing him as president.

China's Zhang Jilong was appointed as acting AFC president last summer but the confederation must wait one year from the date of Bin Hammam's provisional ban – May 29 – before holding an election to replace him.