While Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are keeping their power dry, ex-FIFA official Jerome Champagne has come out as a candidate for the FIFA presidency next year.
Champagne stood up in London today, at the Grand Connaught Rooms on the site where the Football Association was founded just over 150 years ago, and declared his candidacy.
He also unveiled a video message of support from Brazilian icon Pele who said he “trusted” his long-time friend to take FIFA forward in a more democratic way.
With or without Pele’s support, Champagne is a rank outsider. The legal eagles at the Home of FIFA may even draw the red tape so tightly around the technicalities of the process that his name may never even end up on the ballot paper back in Zurich at congress in May of next year.
In the meantime – not being encumbered by inter-dependent membership of the executive committee’s magic circle – he is freer than his likely opponents to say what he really thinks about the state of the world governing body and how it should be concentrating its resources.
Champagne wants the power balance within the world game adjusted to reduce the influence of the six geographical confederations, strengthen the involvement of the national associations and bring representatives of leagues, clubs and players directly into the executive committee.