Blatter rivas has big plans for future of Fita
FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s former right-hand man, Jerome Champagne, plans to launch a bid to succeed his ex-boss as the most powerful man in world soccer.
The 55-year-old Frenchman has set up a news conference in London for tomorrow but refused to confirm that he would announce his candidacy at it. However, sources in Switzerland, where Fifa is based, left little doubt.
Blatter, 78 in March, has hinted that he will stand again in next year’s elections, and Uefa president Michel Platini has been widely tipped to challenge him but has refused to declare his position.
Champagne, Fifa’s deputy secretary-general from 2002 to 2005, has been working as an international soccer consultant in troubled regions such as Kosovo, Palestine, Israel and Cyprus since leaving the organisation in 2010.
He sent an e-mail to the world’s media on Friday inviting them to a news conference but would not elaborate on his plans.
“I cannot stop the speculation because there has been speculation about me for the past two years, since I published my document regarding the future of Fifa and the globalisation of the game,” Champagne said.
“It is a free world and you can’t stop people having an opinion but I do not want to say more until I speak in London on Monday.”
A Swiss source said: “There has been much speculation that Jerome will stand for the presidency and it would come as no surprise to anyone if this is what he says in London.
“Everyone knows how important next year’s election will be for the future of football and being part of the campaign would give him the chance to express his views.”
A Fifa spokesman said the governing body had no comment.
In 2012 Champagne’s 20 000-word document outlined some far-sighted proposals built on Fifa’s traditional strengths.
Central to his thinking are plans to expand the Fifa executive committee, bringing national football associations into the seat of governance and making Fifa more transparent.
“The election in 2015 is absolutely crucial for the future of the world game and will shape football for many years to come. We have to embrace new ideas and develop others like technology; we have to embrace the changes in the modern world, both in the way football is governed and how we redress the imbalances that have crept in.
Blatter has been president since 1998 and was close to Champagne during his time at Fifa. Blatter has not said whether he will stand for a fifth term when the elections are held in Zurich in 18 months’ time. – Reuters