ZURICH — Nothing rocked international soccer quite like the waves of arrests across several continents last year, as the United States announced bribery and corruption charges against the men running the world’s biggest and richest sport. But as the organization that governs global soccer searches for a new president, the leading contender risks stoking another source of controversy for the sport: human rights.
The election is here on Friday, and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, a member of the ruling family of Bahrain and the president of the governing body for soccer in Asia, might already have the support of a commanding number of voting countries, making him the favorite to replace Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA.