- Title: SOCCER-FIFA/CHUNG Chung calls Blatter "hypocrite" and plans to sue FIFA president
- Date: 7th October 2015
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 7, 2015) (REUTERS) FIFA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CHUNG JONG-MOON, STANDING AT PODIUM SIGN, READING: "LEADERS" (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIFA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CHUNG MONG-JOON, SAYING: "Back in 2002, during a exco (FIFA Executive Committee) meeting I asked President Blatter his salary and expenses but he refused. Naturally for Presi
- Embargoed: 22nd October 2015 13:00
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA2KZM6LWWZLGEMHEWNMXYAZ68
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- Story Text: FIFA presidential hopeful Chung Mong-joon, who says he is facing a 15 year ban from soccer, came out fighting on Wednesday (October 7), branding FIFA President Sepp Blatter a liar and hypocrite.
Chung, who also said he would sue Blatter for embezzlement over the Swiss' salary and expenses, told reporters in London that he was the victim of a smear campaign.
The South Korean said he was being charged with violating the FIFA ethics code on six counts. If found guilty, he would not be able to stand in the election to find a successor to Blatter.
FIFA's Ethics Committee has declined to comment on Chung's allegations.
Turning his fire on the outgoing head of world soccer, Chung said he had called on Blatter to declare his salary and expenses during a FIFA meeting in 2002. The Swiss has never done so.
"Back in 2002, during a exco (FIFA Executive Committee) meeting I asked President Blatter his salary and expenses but he refused," he said.
"Naturally for President Blatter to get paid without exco approval is embezzlement. That is why I plan to sue Mr. Blatter on his embezzlement in court."
"Mr. Blatter, in short, is a hypocrite and a liar," Chung added, saying he would give back any amount he won in court to FIFA's development programmes.
He also described FIFA as a mafia organisation, saying "my only hesitation in using that term is that it's almost insulting to the mafia because the mafia would never have been so blatant, overt and arrogant in its corruption".
Chung also denied any wrongdoing over his campaigning for South Korea to host the 2022 World Cup, and said suspended Secretary General Jerome Valcke had written to him assuring him he (Chung) had done nothing wrong.
"Secretary General Valcke wrote me these two letters to me and Dr. Han (Han Song-Joo) and this is a copy he sent to me and this is another copy he sent to the chairman of the Korea bidding committee," Chung told reporters, brandishing what he said were the documents in question.
"Yet the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee has now asked for 15 years of sanction for this. According to a transcript that the investigatory chamber sent me, when they asked about such a letter both Mr. Blatter and Mr. Valcke feigned, quote unquote 'surprise'. I did not know they were suffering from memory loss."
Finishing his speech, Chung said: "Let me close by saying that the fact I'm the target of Mr. Blatter's smear campaign is clearly the most powerful endorsement for my candidacy and the best proof that I'm the person to lead FIFA's reforms."
FIFA declined to comment on Chung's speech referring inquires to Blatter's lawyer, who was not immediately available for comment. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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