Hayatou engages high gear

PARIS- Issa Hayatou launched his mission statement for FIFA’s presidential election yesterday, saying it was time to embrace a new era of openness and end the “nasty atmosphere” blighting world soccer's governing body.Hayatou and UEFA president Lennart Johansson also demanded an investigation into allegations that a vote cast in the name of Haiti in the 1998 FIFA presidential election was fraudulent.Hayatou and Johansson are both FIFA vice-presidents and serve on the executive committee. Hayatou is also president of the Confederation of African Football.Meanwhile, President Sepp Blatter stopped an audit of FIFA’s finances to prevent the secretary general of world soccer’s governing body, Michel Zen-Ruffinen, from giving evidence, Zen-Ruffinen said. Zen-Ruffinen told the Le Temps newspaper he had noticed “disfunctions” in the financial process within FIFA. “I think that these manoeuvres were also aimed at stopping me giving evidence because I could reveal some delicate details,” Zen-Ruffinen said.ends