DOHA // Mohamed bin Hammam remains coy about whether he will run for the presidency of Fifa this year, but he called for term limits for the world governing body, a clear reference to the long-time incumbent, Sepp Blatter.
The president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said he was 15 minutes late to a media conference yesterday because "someone phoned and asked me if there is any announcement regarding the next Fifa election. Of course, that is not the case". He also asked reporters not to ask him about Fifa matters.
But, about 30 minutes later, he responded enthusiastically when asked if the Fifa president should be limited in how many years he can serve.
Blatter, 74, has been the Fifa president since 1998 and will be seeking re-election this year for the fourth time. Blatter's predecessor, Joao Havelange of Brazil, was Fifa president for 24 years.
"The people today, and correct me if I'm wrong, complain a lot about how Fifa runs its businesses," bin Hammam said. "I think not only term limits need to be inserted, but there are a lot of changes that need to be added to the Fifa practices of its businesses.
"A term limit will facilitate the rotation of the power within the organisation, and I've said in the past that changing or limiting the mandate for president will allow new people to come into power without hesitation, and new people mean new ideas and new thoughts and pushing the organisation well ahead."
Bin Hammam, a 61-year-old Qatari, has been the AFC president since 2002, and has said he will step down in 2015.
He seemed to indicate eight years as the maximum tenure for the Fifa presidency, saying that "after eight years you begin to think, 'If I am going to stay more I have to think how to protect my position, my seat, and then I'm [getting away from] the reason why I'm president."
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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