Frenchman Jerome Champagne has confirmed plans to vie for FIFA Presidency. The incumbent President of the body Sepp Blatter had announced he would stand for the fifth term last week.
Former diplomat Champagne joined FIFA in 1999 and left in 2010 after working as an executive for 11 years, he confirmed his plan to run for presidency via a letter in his website which read:“I have the honour of informing you that I have just written to FIFA to confirm my intention to run for President. On a personal level, I am happy that the debate about the future of FIFA and football has finally begun with the prospect of various candidates.
“First and foremost, debating about issues is a normal process in an institution based on democratic principles. Then, this debate is particularly indispensable for football.
“We have to take clear and informed decisions on whether we want to continue with the current economic polarisation, and the sporting imbalances it brings in its wake, or be willing to re-balance the game in our globalised 21st century.”
Since his exit from FIFA in 2010 he has advised various football federations and was football commissioner for the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar.
Champagne called on FIFA to be more democratic and inclusive to its member organisations.
“The 2015 election must not be determined on the basis of individual appeal but on vision and agenda, to which we must commit for the next decade, and the willingness and ability to diligently execute a programme that has been agreed to by the invested parties.
“The next 10 years will be crucial for football and very particularly for FIFA, which is at a crossroads,and in need of sweeping changes that must take it further than what has been accomplished to date,” he added.
Champagne needs the backing of five FIFA member Football Associations but does not have to disclose who they are until official declarations are made in January.
The election will take place at the FIFA congress in June next year.