Eight candidates apply for Fifa presidency

Tuesday 27th of October 2015

Eight candidates submitted applications to become outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s replacement, including the Uefa general secretary, Gianni Infantino.

Michel Platini, the current president of Uefa, submitted his own application despite an ongoing 90 day ban concerning an investigation into a disputed payment of £1.3 million in 2011. Fifa will allow him to run for presidency in the event that he wins an appeal against his ban, the first of which was rejected.

A former lawyer, Infantino has worked closely alongside Platini for the past six years, and announced that he would run after receiving the unanimous backing of the Uefa executive committee.

The other candidates who successfully launched their bids for the role are Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, Jerome Champagne, Liberian FA President Musa Bility, former Trinidad and Tobago player David Nakhid, South African businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale, and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the President of the Asian football Confederation.

“The forthcoming election for a new Fifa president represents a crucial moment in the governance of the game and the future of Fifa itself,” a statement from the Uefa executive committee said.

“We believe that Gianni Infantino has all of the qualities required to tackle the major challenges ahead and to lead the organisation on a path of reform to restore Fifa’s integrity and credibility.”