Paris, Oct 29: Profiles of the seven candidates for the FIFA presidency confirmed by football’s governing body on Wednesday:
PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEIN: The 39-year-old brother of Jordan’s King Abdullah was a member of his country’s special forces, specialising in parachute jumps. The prince was on the FIFA executive from 2011 until this year when he first challenged Sepp Blatter for the presidency. Prince Ali championed the cause of allowing women to play football in a hijab. He has repeatedly demanded greater transparency within FIFA and promised to increase the share of revenues sent back to the national associations. He has condemned the “backroom deals” that he says are one of the biggest causes of FIFA’s long-standing troubles. The prince has been one of the main advocates of releasing the Garcia report into the 2010 votes that gave the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.
MICHEL PLATINI: One of the greatest footballers of all time and until he was implicated in a Swiss criminal investigation into FIFA, one of the sport’s most skilful politicians. After being co-chairman of France’s 1998 World Cup organisation, he became president of UEFA in 2007 and has since been re-elected twice. But the Frenchman’s 90-day suspension while FIFA investigates a 1.8 million euro ($2 million) payment from the world body without a written contract has seriously hit the chances of the man who was once hot favourite. Platini, 60, made his name as a sports administrator by pressing for football’s riches and decision-making to be spread between members.
JEROME CHAMPAGNE: The 57-year-old was a French diplomat in Oman, Los Angeles and Brazil before becoming a protocol advisor for the 1998 World Cup organisers. He joined FIFA in 1999 and rose to become deputy secretary general under Sepp Blatter, leaving in 2010. “I am not ashamed of the FIFA years,” he told AFP. Though not a footballer, Champagne was a freelance journalist for the magazine France Football . Champagne had tried to challenge Blatter in the election this year but could not get the required five signatures from national associations to enter. He has vowed to bring in greater transparency, stronger ethical standards and modernise the world body’s administration.
TOKYO SEXWALE: The South African anti-apartheid campaigner, who entered the race on Saturday, wants to make history by becoming the first African to head football’s governing body in its 111-year history. A former politician and one of his country’s wealthiest men Sexwale, 62, was jailed alongside Nelson Mandela. He served 13 years of an 18-year jail term on Robben Island on terrorism charges. A member of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup bid team he serves on FIFA’s anti-racism and anti-discrimination committee, likening racism to “a monster that is trying to infiltrate sporting fields”. He is also a FIFA media committee member.
SHEIKH SALMAN BIN EBRAHIM AL KHALIFA: The soft-spoken Bahraini royal took over an Asian confederation in turmoil in 2013 after Mohamed bin Hammam was kicked out in disgrace, but he now enjoys an iron grip on the body. Enjoys strong backing from Kuwaiti powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad al Fahad al Sabah, one of the most influential figures in world sport and a major player in both FIFA and the Olympic movement. This year, Shaikh Salman was re-elected unopposed for a full, four-year term and became a FIFA vice-president into the bargain. But he has been dogged by allegations that he was complicit in Bahrain’s harsh crackdown on pro-democracy activists in 2011, charges he denies.
GIANNI INFANTINO: The 45-year-old Swiss lawyer joined UEFA in 2000 and became general secretary in 2009. Multi-lingual, Infantino’s original role was to deal with legal, commercial and professional football matters. He was subsequently appointed as director of legal affairs and club licensing division in 2004. He worked on fostering close contacts with the European Union, the Council of Europe and governmental authorities. Prior to joining UEFA he had a lot of experience working in sport. He had been an advisor to various football bodies in Italy, Spain and Switzerland before then working as the general secretary of the International Centre for Sports Studies at the University of Neuchatel.
MUSA BILITY: President of the Liberian Football Association, Bility’s candidacy is something of surprise. He is one of a select band of Africans to stand for the presidency following current acting FIFA head Issa Hayatou in 2002, and Sexwale this time around. “If we are to change football, then we have to make sure that those (that) have been running FIFA for the last 20-25 years have nothing to do with it,” the 48-year-old Bility told the BBC after announcing his candidature.
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