Tokyo: Africa’s time has come at Fifa
Sexwale says it is an injustice that nobody from the continent has ever been the president
“I WILL not fail, [it is] Africa that will fail if I do not go through.”
That was the sobering view offered by Fifa presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale as the race to become the most powerful person in world football stepped up a gear yesterday.
Sexwale and rivals Gianni Infantino, Jerome Champagne and Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa made an appearance at the Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) AGM in Sandton yesterday, determined to convince the regional football leaders they should be elevated to the highest office in the game in February next year.
Sexwale did not mince his words and said it was an injustice that no African has ever been Fifa president in the 111-year existence of the world football governing body. “Why not us?” asked Sexwale. “You have got to show that this is an international body. If it was three years or five years ... this is a century! Jerome [Champagne], it is the question and that is why the candidate from Africa will raise the issue of the origin. But a candidate who is not from Africa may not feel this, you know. Nine leaders of Fifa have all been from one area. Even [former Fifa president] Joao Havelange, who comes from Brazil, is of Belgian stock.”
Sexwale took things a step further and said Africa has “warmed the bench for 111 years” and it is time for Fifa to introduce a substitute into the game.
“You are sending a wrong signal if certain people can be accorded leadership and others are not. You are sending the signal that some, they are only good as a hunting ground for votes. Africa cannot do that. But then Africa is a problem in itself. Africa must learn to trust itself. Africa must learn to have confidence in itself.”
Champagne, who says he was one of the people instrumental in bringing the World Cup to South Africa in 2010, originally bid to become Fifa president last year and challenged suspended incumbent Sepp Blatter.
The Frenchman declared himself a candidate in September 2014 but withdrew at the beginning of the year after failing to garner enough support for his candidacy.
Champagne directed a swipe at rival Infantino, who is also the Uefa general secretary, and asked where was he when the European football body worked tirelessly to ensure that South Africa lost the right to host the 2006 World Cup.
“The way South Africa was defeated 12 to 11 was organised by representatives of Uefa because we had to fight the European egoism, the Charlie Dempsey solution. Where were all these guys coming here today to beg for votes on May 15 2004? They were supporting Morocco. And now they come here and say vote for us and we will make Fifa and African football better.”
Infantino left the gathering early and was at pains to put some distance between himself and Uefa as he departed Sandton.
“Let me say from the onset that I do not see myself at all as a Uefa candidate,” he said.
“I have the backing of Uefa, certainly, but I am not a Uefa candidate. I am a candidate for football. That’s the way I have lived all my life and that’s the way I see Fifa in the future.
“It’s certainly an advantage to have the backing of the European associations going forward but it is important that they understand as well, the Europeans, that they have to be part of a global game with Fifa.”
He said Fifa has lost a lot of credibility and will have to work very hard to regain the trust of the fans, sponsors and the players.
“We have to restore the credibility and the image of Fifa, and the trust of the people in Fifa as an organisation. In order to do this we have to implement the reforms we were speaking about. We have to bring full financial transparency into Fifa. We have to know how the money comes in, where the money goes, all the money flows have to be clearly identified and published in a very transparent and public way.
“We need to introduce clean governance in Fifa.”
Cosafa president Suketu Patel insisted that despite the dark clouds hovering over the sport, “it is not all doom and gloom”.
❛ Africa has warmed the bench for 111 years and it is time to introduce a substitute