Worawi shrugs off controversy to run for Asian presidency

Controversial head of Thai football Worawi Makudi will seek to take over the scandal-plagued presidency of Asian football in May's election.

The Asian Football Confederation has finally received legal clearance to replace disgraced former AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam, who was relieved of his duties after Fifa slapped him with a lifetime ban for offering bribes to voters in the 2011 AFC presidential election.

Widely known to be a long-time ally of bin Hammam, Thai FA boss Worawi said he was "extremely honoured" to be nominated by the 11-nation Asean Football Federation, on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, for the election on May 2 at AFC headquarters in the Malaysian capital.

"The AFF meeting made a resolution to nominate me as a candidate for the presidential post of the AFC. I feel extremely honoured to be entrusted by Asean countries. I will now try to canvas as many votes as possible from AFC members.

"My main election pledge is to promote harmony in Asian football and to develop our football to the same level as Europe's.

"I don't know who will run against me, as we have to wait until the deadline for applications this Sunday. I will give my utmost as the AFF's representative. Let's see whether it will be enough to win the vote," said Worawi, who also sits on Fifa's powerful executive committee.

In September Worawi denied fraud allegations made by a South Korean firm in connection with the early cancellation of a multimillion-dollar broadcast rights deal.

Worawi was cleared in 2011 of accusations that funds meant for the Thai FA to build facilities were instead spent on building assets on land he owned in Bangkok.

He was previously accused by former English FA chairman Lord Triesman of involvement in a scandal concerning bribes for officials from world governing body Fifa in return for backing England's World Cup bid.

The AFC is currently headed by caretaker Zhang Jilong of China, who is considered the front-runner to secure the presidency in the elections in Kuala Lumpur, where the organisation is based.

The other individual known to be interested in the post is Bahrain FA president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa.

Meanwhile, the AFC has denied Worawi's assertion that it had received an allegation of attempted match-fixing at November's Thai FA Cup final between Buriram United and Army United.

Last week, the Thai FA boss claimed that the match referee, Toshimitsu Yoshida of Japan, had reported to the AFC that he was asked to help rig the result of the match at Supachalasai Stadium. However, Asian football's governing body told Reuters on Monday it had received no such report, so there was nothing to investigate. Worawi has nevertheless insisted that an investigation will go ahead.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/02/28/worawi-shrugs-off-controversy-to-run-for-asian-presidency/