adminLONDON. — Fifa presidential candidate Jerome Champagne is out of the race after failing to win sufficient backing for his bid, saying that national associations feared “reprisals” if they supported him.
Fifa’s election body said yesterday it had received four candidate bids to become the boss of football’s world governing body.
The four who have thrown their hat into the ring are current president Sepp Blatter, Asian Football Confederation vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, former Portugal international Luis Figo and Dutch football chief Michael van Praag.
Champagne, needing the backing of five national associations for his bid, said in a statement that he had won the backing of only three.
The Frenchman said he had lost sponsorship after former Portugal forward Luis Figo and Dutch FA president Michael van Praag announced last week they would stand.
Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, a Fifa executive committee member, also announced early last month he was in the race to unseat Sepp Blatter.
“The institutions have mobilised to eliminate the only independent candidate,” said Champagne, who has campaigned against what he says is growing inequality in the sport. — Reuters.
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