Players group criticises FFA’s support of Sheikh Salman

Professional Footballers Australia has criticised the FFA’s decision to support the re-election of AFC president Sheikh Salman.

Sheik Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain after he was elected as the President of the Asian Football Confederation in 2013

Professional Footballers Australia has joined the growing chorus of criticism of Football Federation Australia over the decision to support the re-election of AFC president Sheikh Salman.

The body that represents Australia’s professional players issued a strongly worded statement yesterday noting its “deep concern” with the situation while also claiming it was still waiting on answers from world governing body FIFA “seeking its disclosure of the review process implemented to determine the eligibility of all candidates up for election”.

PFA chief executive John Didulica also expressed disappointment that the FFA board did not consult with it before deciding to throw its weight behind Sheikh Salman.

Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman was criticised for not doing more to help Hakeem Al-Araibi Araibi, a Bahraini refugee who was imprisoned during his honeymoon in Thailand earlier this year under threat of extradition to his homeland. Al-Araibi was eventually released back to Australia where he has been granted citizenship.

“The PFA is on record challenging the right of the incumbent to continue in the role of AFC president, let alone serve another term,” Didulica said.

“The inability of the incumbent (Sheikh Salman) to protect and promote the human rights of one of the game’s players in line with his constitutional obligations demonstrates a breathtaking failure as the continent’s highest office holder and a repudiation and abrogation of the office of president.

“FFA’s support — without consulting with key members of the FFA Congress — is difficult to understand given the unity of purpose the Australian football family recently displayed to help secure the freedom of Hakeem Al-Araibi.

“We await FIFA and/or FFA to urgently provide the basis upon which the incumbent satisfied the eligibility criteria notwithstanding the fundamental concerns raised by the PFA over his ongoing tenure during the period of Hakeem’s detention.”

The PFA’s statement follows former Socceroo Craig Foster’s criticism of FFA’s decision to back Sheikh Salman’s candidacy.

Foster, who led the stirring campaign to have Al-Araibi released from prison and returned to Australia, labelled FFA’s decision as “sickening” on Monday while there was mass outrage from the rank and file on social media.

In a statement issued via Amnesty International, Al-Araibi criticised FFA’s stance.

“I am shocked and disappointed that the FFA has decided to continue to support a person who oversaw my detention and torture in Bahrain,” he said.

“The head of the FFA, Chris Nikou, must address these concerns and ask serious questions about how they do not breach FFA’s own human rights policy.”

Didulica revealed he had written to FIFA last week seeking clarification on the process to determine the eligibility of the candidates up for the AFC elections, which will be held on April 6.

“The FIFA Governance Regulations require the FIFA Review Committee to undertake a full eligibility check of all candidates to determine their eligibility,” he said.

“Before yesterday’s public statements from the ASEAN Football Federation and FFA, the PFA, which is the largest institutional stakeholder within the reformed FFA Congress, had not received a response from FIFA regarding the eligibility of the candidates.”

In writing to FIFA, Didulica said the PFA was “seeking from FIFA, firstly, the reasons in writing for the decision to deem eligible those candidates for the Presidency of the AFC made by the Review Committee pursuant to Article 72(3) and, secondly, that those reasons be made publicly available.”

The PFA asked for the information “at earliest possible opportunity, but no later than COB on Monday 18 March 2019”.

“The PFA must have this information available to it in order to provide its position to the current board of FFA who will be required to vote at the AFC elections on behalf of Australian football,” he concluded.