Electoral Committee Confirms 5 Candidates For FIFA Presidency

World football governing body FIFA on Thursday in Berlin confirmed five candidates to run for its presidency on Feb. 26, after its electoral committee named them as official candidates.

 

The committee named the candidates to include Prince Ali Al-Hussein of Jordan, Asian confederation chief Sheikh Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain and former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France.

 

The rest are UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino of Switzerland and South African Tokyo Sexwale.

 

Trinidadian ex-footballer David Nakhid was however not included on the list, in spite of him saying he had submitted his candidacy.

 

Also, FIFA said Liberia’s Musa Bility had failed to pass an integrity check and it dropped him.

 

A report from the committee disclosed that UEFA President Michel Platini has also submitted a bid.

 

The committee said he could become a sixth candidate, after the end of his 90-day provisional ban.

It said the situation could also change if FIFA’s appeal committee or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ban imposed by the FIFA ethics committee.

Platini was banned in connection with a “disloyal payment” he received from the also suspended FIFA president Joseph Blatter.

 

The report disclosed that Bility was not admitted in view of the content of the integrity check report relating to him.

 

It did not go into details because of personality rights, but said Bility has the right to appeal the decision before CAS.

 

The committee also said Nakhid was not accepted by FIFA because he provided the backing of a member-federation which was already supporting another candidate.

 

Each candidate required the support of five member-federations before the integrity check carried out by the ethics committee.

 

The integrity check ranges from possible fraudulent behaviour and match manipulations to human rights violations.

 

FIFA will elect a new president on Feb. 26 to succeed Blatter, who beat Prince Al-Hussein on May 29 for the top job.

 

(dpa/NAN)

FIFA Presidency : Blatter Backs Kalu

As the FIFA Presidency election gathers steam, suspended FIFA president, Sepp Joseph Blatter has openly declared his support for former Abia State Governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu to occupy the exalted position of FIFA Presidency, even as he has faulted the candidature of former Secretary General Jerome Champagne and Prince Alli of Jordan.

Speaking in Zurich, Blatter said, “The position of the FIFA president is too important to be left to just anybody. I have heard of some candidates who want to take over from me. But I find the businessman from Nigeria, Kalu very qualified and interesting because he is not only a businessman, but a politician with lots of contacts and corporate experience. He can bring his great experiences to bear in the running of world football. He is passionate about the game.

“I remember how he sponsored one of Nigerian clubs to win the CAF championship twice. He is a man that can take world football to the next level,” Blatter told the Swiss Radio monitored on Sunday.

Blatter said though Kalu had not formally declared his interest, it was in the best interest of Africa to nominate him because of his deep passion for the game.

“If Africa hopes to win the support of other federations, then they must queue behind the Nigerian business man. Football has developed beyond just any body taking over. I sacked Jerome Champgne in 2010 so how can he come back to lead an Association he tried to destroy. You need a man who can command respect and win friends for football. With Kalu, Africa stands a better chance, he concluded.

Credit: Sun