Soccer-Blatter shrugs off Figo dictator jibe as election nears

By Mike Collett ZURICH, May 26 (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter shrugged off Luis Figo's accusation he had turned world soccer's ruling body into a dictatorship as the election campaign moved towards its final stages on Tuesday. Former world player of the year Figo, 42, of Portugal, fired a parting shot when withdrawing his presidential candidacy last week, saying Blatter was a dictator and the election was nothing more than a plebiscite, meaning it was not a fair and open contest. The 79-year-old Swiss, arriving at a Zurich hotel for a meeting with delegates from the CONCACAF confederation which comprises north and central American countries and the Caribbean islands, briefly spoke to reporters before being hurried inside the building. "Luis Figo is free to say what he wants to say. He is a free man, he is a footballer," said Blatter. "I have received so many titles but I still have the title of FIFA president at least until six o'clock on Friday." Blatter is likely to have the title a lot earlier on Friday as the vote is expected in the middle of the afternoon when FIFA's 209-member nations choose between him and Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan. Michael van Praag, chairman of the Dutch FA, also pulled out of the election last week and Blatter is the overwhelming favourite to win a fifth term of office and see off the challenge from the 39-year-old Jordanian royal. On Tuesday, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening bonds between the two confederations. The main focus of the agreement is in two areas of "knowledge-sharing" and competitions. Among their ideas is that national or club teams from the two regions could take part in competitions against each other in the future. AFC president Shaikh Salman of Bahrain said in a statement: "The two confederations have many common features and we look forward to closely working together." CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb added: "Formalising this strategic partnership is mutually beneficial and enables our confederations to share in each other's visions of advancing the sport." A number of meetings are planned during the build-up to Friday's vote including one by New FIFA Now, the anti-Blatter reform group, on Wednesday. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)