By Andrew Warshaw in Brussels
January 22 – Prospective FIFA presidential nominee Jerome Champagne has sought to play down suggestions that he is getting desperate in his bid to meet next week’s deadline for officially presenting his candidacy.
Earlier this week, in an open letter to FIFA’s 209 federations under the heading The Moment of Truth, Champagne, who launched his campaign almost exactly a year ago, admitted time was running out and that he still did not have the necessary five letters of support in order to comply with the strict electoral rules in his bid to stand against Sepp Blatter.
The former FIFA deputy general secretary now says he has “between one and four” nominations but refuses to name them as the January 29 deadline approaches.
“If you read my letter I said that according to the older version of the statutes I would already be a candidate,” Champagne told reporters on the fringes of yesterday’s European Parliament launch of the NewFifaNow reform movement where he was one of the speakers.
“So I have between one and four nominations. I told the federations I would not reveal their names if I don’t get the five. I am close [to the five] which is sometimes a little frustrating but it’s like minorities finding it difficult to break the glass ceiling. Sometimes I have the feeling I am close to the glass ceiling but I have not broken it yet.
“So for people who think I am desperate or I am conceding – I am not conceding anything. I did it on purpose to really show how it functions. We need candidates with vision – not those who are pushed by other organisations.”
There is a strong body of opinion – not least within UEFA – that believes Champagne, who has been careful not to jump on the anti-Blatter bandwagon, will deliberately pull out in order to back the veteran present incumbent, his former boss at FIFA where he worked for over a decade.
“Just investigate the source of these rumours, I don’t have to answer this,” he barked back at journalists in Brussels, dismissing such conspiracy theories as “ridiculous”.
Yet asked repeatedly who he would back if he fails to run, Champagne hedged his bets preferring to promote his own campaign.
“For the moment I am the only one who has a real programme. Everyone is for transparency, for gender equality, for football in the world. I am the only one who has presented detailed and financial measures. If I am not running who am I endorsing? I will decide according to their programme.”
Like many, Champagne has poured scorn on former French international David Ginola’s unlikely prospective candidacy but he won’t have a word said against Blatter, frequently using the word “we” in reference to his time at FIFA.
“Look around the world, I know what we built in terms of development programmes,” he said. “No-one in Europe talks about that. I want to double the (current) financial assistance. What we are dying from is inequality in football.
“Everyone talks about the pro-Blatter and anti-Blatter camps and that the latter are the reformists. That’s far too simplistic. It’s much more a grey area. There are many who support Blatter who want change. And some against Blatter don’t want change. Everything else is in the middle. It’s not as divided or clearcut. I have always said Mr Blatter is popular – including by some in Europe by the way.”
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