Blatter becomes FIFA boss

Blatter was a senior executive at Swiss Timing before he became FIFA8217;s Director of Technical Development Programmes in 1975.

While FIFA has not always run as smoothly as clockwork, Blatter can take credit for ensuring its myriad of changes since then have been effected with typical Swiss efficiency.

Today FIFA8217;s delegates made it plain they liked the way he has operated for all these years and did not wish to see a change of direction at the top.

Blatter fought a brilliant campaign, persistently eating away at votes which seemed to have been secured for Johansson despite coming into the race late, just three months ago.

Uefa president Johansson thoughthe had solid votes from his own European Confederation as well as the block vote from Africa. But Blatter persuaded key nations to support him with France, Denmark and then England, tellingly just three days before the vote, announcing their backing for him publicly.

The late momentum he built up earned him a 31-vote win in the first round today. He got 111 votes to 80 for the Swede and though it was 17 short of required two-thirds majority, Johansson conceded rather than fight a second round. In an interview last week, Blatter had said, quot;I can confirm to you that the so-called unanimity in favour of Johansson in Africa and Europe does not exist. There will be plenty of surprises on June 8. Things have changed since I stepped into the campaign on March 13.quot;

There is no doubting that. While there were rumours for months that Blatter was set to run against Johansson for the presidency, his official entrance in the race caused the Swede, who for so long had been the only declared candidate, to re-think hisstrategy.

His campaign team embarked on a global tour to win votes, as did Blatter. But while Johansson was able to secure the influential support of Pele, Blatter countered with a master-stroke.

He not only forged his campaign in tandem with Michel Platini, he also promised that Platini would work as his director of sport at FIFA if he were elected president.

BLATTER OFFERS OLIVE BRANCH

PARIS: FIFA president-elect Sepp Blatter offered an olive branch to Lennart Johansson today, shortly after defeating his arch-rival for the top job in world soccer.

quot;Mr Johansson was a formidable opponent but now I hope he can become a firm friend,quot; Blatter said. quot;Even though I have worked for FIFA for 24 years, I would have relinquished all my ties if I had lost. It would have been a very abrupt end but that8217;s how it would have been.quot;

Johansson said: quot;I am a normal human being and of course I am very disappointed. Many people who said they were going to vote for me clearly did not. I am very sad that Ihave left so many of my supporters disappointed 8212; Pele, Oceania leader, Charlie Dempsey, African leader Issa Hayatou. All of those people and the 80 countries that voted for me. But I am still UEFA president. I still have a role to play in FIFA and I will keep a very close eye on how Mr Blatter runs his presidency.quot;