Facts about Sepp Blatter:
A candidate must secure the required five nominations
from FIFA's 209 member federation.
Blatter appears to be more popular outside his
continent. The Union of European Football Associations
(UEFA) is the only one among six continental bodies
actively opposing the Swiss official.
UEFA president Michel Platini has declared that he will
not support Blatter for another term, saying that the
body needed a breath of fresh air.
Platini said Blatter failed to keep his promise not to seek
a fifth term.
Prince Ali and Figo have been encouraged to vie for the
post by Platini and his organisation, but that may likely
not hurt the chances of the incumbent president.
Van Praag, who is a member of UEFA's executive
committee, may have some of the support of the body’s
53 voting members, but compared to Blatter very few
from outside Europe.
Sepp Blatter is a Swiss National
Born on the 10th March 1936 who
assumed the Office of the FIFA
Presidency on June 8th 1998 and is
the 8th President of the World’s
governing body of Football.
He succeeded Brazilian Joao
Havelange as FIFA President and
won reelection in 2002, 2007 and
2011 and seems well on his way to
a 5th term with the upcoming
elections, this year(2015).
Before becoming the FIFA
President; Blatter worked as the
Technical Director of FIFA from
1975 – 1981 and would later on
become the Secretary General of
the organization from 1981 till his
election as the President in 1998.
Blatter has presided over four
World Cups and was the first ever
President to award Africa’s its first
ever World Cup. In 2010 FIFA
hosted the World Cup in South
Africa and so Blatter is looked upon
very favorably by African football
administrators for being a true
friend of Africa by his awarding of
the global showcase to the
continent.
Blatter has been dogged by several
controversies in recent years
however paramount amongst which
is the recent award of the 2022
World Cup to the Persian Gulf
State of Qatar.
He has brought some significant
changes to the organization despite
his shortcomings amongst which is
the adoption of Goal Line
Technology and lucrative TV
revenues which has made FIFA
one of the most powerful sports
governing bodies in the world.
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Van Praag, 67, says he’s a sincere candidate with
honest intentions and has promised to offer Blatter an
advisory role at FIFA, but observers say the Dutchman lacks the required popularity and
charisma to unseat the current president.
Prince al-Hussein, 39, is the FIFA vice president for Asia and third son of the late King Hussein
of Jordan. He has the backing of the English Football Association but does not enjoy much
support from the Asian Football Confederation, which has long stated its support for Blatter.
Forty-two-year-old Figo, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, has focused his campaign on
“corruption” and the “poor image” of the world’s football body. He says he is running for the post
to shake things up and revive the good reputation of FIFA.
He appears to be the most popular candidate among the three challengers, but critics have
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