By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino has decided against taking part in next week’s Brussels forum on the future of football’s scandal-tarnished world governing body, leaving only three of the five contenders to tell a global television audience why they should be elected in succession to Sepp Blatter.
According to the organisers, Infantino cannot get to the round table debate in time because of lobbying commitments at the extraordinary Conmebol congress in Paraguay. Sheikh Salman already has a prior arrangement in his capacity as head of the Asian Football Confederation.
That leaves Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, Jerome Champagne and Tokyo Sexwale to attend the debate that will be televised live by ESPN.
It would appear the UEFA general secretary has decided that vote-seeking amongst South American delegates is a greater priority than getting his message across in front of the TV cameras. Prince Ali is also understood to be attending the Conmebol congress but has taken the strategic decision to fly out in time to get to Brussels for the round-table discussions being organised jointly by the European Parliament and the UK pressure group #NewFIFANow.
One other unproven theory, which both camps strongly deny, is that Salman and Infantino are secretly striking a deal to end up as FIFA president and general secretary respectively and that attending the Brussels forum could hinder that plan.
Meanwhile Infantino has revealed for the first time that his campaign is being funded by UEFA to the tune of €500,000.
Confederations are permitted to fund candidates’ campaigns but eyebrows are sure to be raised at why it has taken so long for Infantino to provide the information, disclosed on his campaign website, and whether it covers the cost of paying his campaign team.
With UEFA president Michel Platini ineligible due to his FIFA ban, Infantino entered the race on deadline-day in October as Europe’s preferred candidate but funding wasn’t mentioned at the time.
“The UEFA executive committee agreed last October to support my campaign for the presidency of FIFA and set aside an amount of 500,000 euros for this purpose,” Infantino wrote. “The funding is there essentially to cover the cost of my travels around the world and to provide some logistical support, given that I’m trying to meet as many national associations as possible in order to discuss issues of concern to them regarding the future of world football.”
Infantino was this week backed by Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Barbados and Suriname but it is understood that not all of Europe will support him on February 26 which is perhaps one reason why he has chosen to stay and lobby South American delegates in Paraguay rather than go to Brussels.
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