By Andrew Warshaw
January 16 – It was always possible that a left-field candidate would put his name forward for FIFA president but few expected it to be a former left-sided international midfielder with little or no experience in football administration.
Hence the raised eyebrows – and obvious suggestions of a publicity stunt – when it emerged that David Ginola, the Frenchman who made England his adopted home, is preparing to take on Sepp Blatter next May.
The 47-year-old, whose club career blossomed at Newcastle and Tottenham, was unveiling his plans at a hastily arranged news conference in London this morning.
Backed by an Irish betting firm best known for its tongue-in-cheek promotions, and in conjunction with the ChangeFifa pressure group, Ginola is apparently being touted as the fans’ choice to take on the most powerful job in world football.
With his handsome looks and suave image, Ginola served as an ambassador for England’s failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup. But that’s as close to the corridors of power he has been and there is a strong possibility that his candidacy could be derailed before it even gets off the ground.
It must be highly questionable whether the Frenchman, who won 17 caps for his country and also played for Paris St Germain, Aston Villa and Everton, will be able stand for election on May 29 against Blatter, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, former FIFA deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne and, possibly, Chilean Harold Mayne-Nicholls who has not yet made up his mind.
To officially enter the race, all candidates have until January 29 to present written support of a minimum five national football associations – and must have actively been involved in football for two of the past five years.
The FIFA election rules specifically state: “The candidate shall have played an active role in association football as a board member, committee member, referee and assistant referee, coach, trainer and any other person responsible for technical, medical or administrative matters in FIFA, a Confederation, Association, League or club or as a player) for two of the last five years before being proposed as a candidate. The candidate shall present declarations of support from at least five member associations.”
Whilst highly popular both as a player and personality, since his retirement Ginola has been working primarily as an international pundit for radio and television, throwing into question whether he can fulfill the necessary criteria for entering the race to unseat Blatter on May 29 in Zurich.
In a message to fans on his personal website as the news conference was about to begin, Ginola said FIFA needed a fresh injection of “transparency, democracy and equality.”
“I am standing because, like you, I love football. Whether you are on the terraces or on the pitch, we all know that the FIFA system isn’t working. The game needs to change but I can’t change it on my own. I need you to stand up and change it with me. I need you in my team.”
Unfortunately for Ginola fans don’t get to vote for FIFA president.
“This campaign is all about transparency and we are paying David £250,000 for the campaign and for being here today,” said a spokesman for the bookmaker. “It is his full-time job now and, hopefully, will be for the next four months.”
Under the slogan “Rebooting Football”, Ginola is also asking fans to stump up the money for his campaign – a lot of it, by means of a crowd-funding scheme.
“The truth is that changing the game costs money so we need your help to raise the £2.3 million to fund this campaign,” said a campaign video. “Paddy Power has already kicked in a substantial donation but if you donate however much you can, we’ll hit our target in no time.”
Whilst those present said Ginola oozed charm, he provided little insight into the workings of Fifa. “I am here today to talk about love,” he told reporters. “And to share some of the most powerful emotions all of us have experienced because that’s what football means to me, you and the billions of fans spread all over the planet.
“But we are so disappointed when we talk about the problems in football now, problems with the way our game is being run. I think it is time we changed that and to reboot football.”
President of CONCACAF and FIFA vice president, Jeffrey Webb, told the Press Association: “This betting firm is notorious for controversial PR stunts but the role of FIFA President is an extremely important one for many millions of people around the world and I would certainly hope that the forthcoming FIFA election would not be used in any way to promote commercial interests.”
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