1. FIFA’s Presidential Candidates; Who can win this shoot-out.
The governingbodyof the biggestsportshouldbe anexample forall othersportsto follow.Itshould
seta precedentof howsportsadministrationshouldoperate.If that’sthe case thencheatingand
corruptionseemtobe the wayto go accordingto FIFA. The current administration’sreputationis
beyondrepair.Withoutashredof credibilityremainingatthe toptable I want tolookat the
potential candidatesforthe forthcomingFIFA electionandconsiderif anyof themhas whatit takes
to cleanup the beautiful game.
Under hiscurrentban Michel Platini,the Frenchlegendwill be unabletorunand regardlessof
whetherhe couldrunor not it’shard to see himas the rightcandidate.Yeshe has had successat the
top of UEFA but he has beencaughtup in too much of the corruptionscandal todistance FIFA from
itspast. Alsooutof the race isDavidNakhid whose poorcampaignmanagementsaw him ousted
fromthe race. Meanwhile MusaBilitywasdisqualifiedsupposedlyfortax evasionconvictionsbut
FIFA refuse tocommentonthe speculation.One mustconsiderif Bilitywasdisqualifiedforcheating
on histax one hasto questionhow SheikhSalmanbinEbrahimal-Khalifawasn’tonhumanrights
violations.One mayargue thatitwas because he wasn’tconvictedhoweverit’sunlikelyanational
court wouldconvicta memberof the royal familyof sucha crime.TokyoSexwale offersaunique
C.V.;the formergovernmentministerwasa majorplayerinthe anti- apartheid movementbuthis
connectionswiththe nowdubiousbiddingof SouthAfricaforthe 2010 worldcup probablyruleshim
out too.
That leavesuswith3 potential candidates.Interestinglytheses lefttoconsidereachmetwith
leadersof the six-nationNordicgroupof FIFA memberfederations inDenmarkinrecentweekslong
before UEFA as a whole come togethertodecide whotheywill supportundertheirblockvoting
policy. Prince Ali of Jordan,wasthe manwho tookon Blatterbutsince losingthe supportof Platini
he has become isolated.Was he everaseriouscandidate?I’mnotsure he was.One mightthinkthe
Prince shouldbe more concernedwithdomesticissuesratherthanthe politicsof worldfootball with
ISISon Jordan’sdoorstep.The youngprince hadthe courage to challenge the elitehoweverhis
inexperience will ultimatelybe hisdownfall.
Andthenthere were two. Gianni Infantino isnodoubtverygoodat hisjobin UEFA. Howeverit’s
hard to see himas anythingmore asUEFA’s proxycandidate if theycan’tgetPlatini’sbanliftedin
time.Infantinodoesn’tcome acrossasinterestedinthe position,withoutamanifestohe seemsto
be reliantonthe expectedsupportfromUEFA.Howeverthismove hasangeredother
confederationswhofeelthatUEFA are tryingto create a football hegemony inEurope withtheir
candidates.Thisbringsusto the final candidate Jerome Champagne.despite sittingatFIFA’stop
table withBlatterremainscredible.He wasfiredbyBlatterin2010 to an extentdistanceshimfroma
lotof the controversywhichhashappenedsince. Hisappealingmanifesto hasbeenagradually
developingdocumentfirstseenin2010. He wantstechnologyinthe game,toraise the profile of
women’ssocceraswell asappointingwomentokeyadministrationroles,all greatbuzzterms.His
willingnesstospeakonthe issuesunlikeothercandidatesmake himthe journalistsfavourite.But
still hislinkstoBlatterandpolicysimilaritiesmaybe hisdownfall.He wasendorsedbyPele noless
but hisabilitytogetthe endorsementof majorconfederationsorhiswillingnesstoengage inthese
negotiations (Likelyinthe presidential suitesof 5star hotels) remainstobe seen. He isnotlikelyto
be the manto inspire publicopinionortoexcite the imagination.Buthe couldwell be seentobe ‘a

2. safe pairof hands’forthe FIFA Congress.Low-key,issues-focussed,abureaucratandrelatively
uncontroversial.Familiarenoughforthose whostill yearnforBlatter;differentenoughforthose
whocan acceptmodestchange.
There isno perfectcandidate,there neverisanelection.Allof have flaws,some more seriousthan
others.Champagne isprobablythe bestonthe fieldof play,butyouhave to wonderif someone like
DavidGill had decidedtogetoff the side-lineandenterthe match,how differentthiselectioncould
have been.