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FIFA presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon has vowed to sue Sepp Blatter in court for embezzlement and said world football's governing body "has become a corrupt organisation serving the interests of a few." Chung, a former FIFA vice-president, said Blatter was being paid a secret salary that was not even agreed by FIFA's executive committee. The South Korean told the Sport Leaders convention in London on Wednesday: "FIFA has become a badge of shame. To call it a mafia is almost insulting to mafia, so blatant and arrogant is its corruption. "At FIFA, money and power have blinded Blatter in the virtues of sportsmanship. "For his payment without executive committee approval, I plan to sue Mr Blatter for embezzlement in court. Mr. Blatter in short is a hypocrite and a liar.'' Chung said earlier this week that he is facing a 19-year suspension by the FIFA ethics committee for alleged ethics breaches surrounding South Korea's failed bid for the 2022 World Cup, and also for openly criticising the committee. He is facing the suspension for promoting a $777 million development fund as part of the bid, but calls it an attempt by FIFA to undermine his candidacy to replace Blatter in the Feb. 26 election. He said that was a "travesty of justice" after no investigation was lodged against UEFA president Michel Platini's support for Qatar to host the 2022 tournament. On Wednesday, he pointed out that Harold Mayne-Nicholls was banned for seven years by FIFA's ethics committee after asking Qatar for placements for family members while he was in charge of the technical inspectors looking at the World Cup bids. Mayne-Nicholls said last year he wanted to run against Blatter for the presidency. He added: "Mr. Platini voted for Qatar and his son landed a job a with a Qatar company as chief executive. The ethics committee did not even start an investigation, this is a travesty of justice." Chung also claimed that Platini should be "punished" for revealing he had voted for Qatar because that was against FIFA regulations. Chung refused to reveal where his votes went but denied that he had agreed to -- and then back-tracked on -- a vote-trading agreement with England. He said: "Mr. Platini should be punished for his violation of FIFA regulations. Maybe in the future FIFA should change the regulations and ask all national associations to disclose their voting. "The IOC also has a regulation to make it a secret process -- do you think the IOC allows him or her to continue to be an IOC member? I don't think so. It was a very serious violation of FIFA rules.'' Asked whether he had the five nominations necessary to run for FIFA president, Chung said: "I hope I do. That's a very good question. I hope [FA chairman] Greg Dyke joins me in this very noble cause against FIFA corruption. European football is already at the top -- why do you think he [the next president] should be another European?" Blatter, meanwhile, has claimed an investigation into him by the Swiss attorney general is "outrageous" and insists there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Information from The Associated Press and Press Association was used in this report.
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