November 16 – David Nakhid, the former Trinidad and Tobago midfielder who was excluded from the FIFA presidential campaign on a technicality, has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a final effort to get back in the race.
Nakhid was ruled out by FIFA’s Ad hoc Electoral Committee because one of his five nominations, the US Virgin Islands, also supported a rival candidate. Under the rules, that is not permitted.
A CAS statement said: “Mr Nakhid seeks the annulment of the challenged decision and an order that his candidacy be reinstated. No hearing date has been fixed for the moment. A procedural calendar will be determined within the next days, after consultation with the parties.”
Nakhid was the only contender from CONCACAF but was disqualified and immediately pointed the finger squarely at US Virgin Islands Football Association president Hillaren Frederick as being the culprit and for “betraying” the Caribbean region. Nakhid’s legal team contends that the Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee is guilty of “a clear violation of the FIFA Electoral Regulations” by excluding him as a candidate.
“I believe that a proper and impartial review by the CAS will reveal that my client is a serious and qualified contender who was treated unjustly,” his lawyer Jalal El-Mir said in a statement. “We can only hope for a speedy hearing given the critical time-line for this special campaign.”
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