Each FIFA Candidate in It to Win It

(ATR) The FIFA presidential candidates tell Around the Rings they will not make deals with other candidates and drop out of the race early.

"I intend to see this through," Prince Ali of Jordan told ATR while in Miami for the CONCACAF regional meeting that took place Feb. 11-12.

"If you’re going to run for this position you have to not only do it in the proper way but for myself I’m a candidate beholden to no one," Ali says. "I’m independent and I think that’s what’s required most of all of a candidate for the FIFA presidency."

Ali is seeking to replace Sepp Blatter at the head of football along with Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale. Each candidate presented at the CONCACAF meeting except for Sexwale.

Reports surfaced at the beginning of February that front-runner Sheikh Salman might offer the other candidates a deal to become the secretary general of FIFA if they were to drop out of the race.

Infantino was initially named as the likely recipient of such a deal; however, while presenting to the CONCACAF leaders on Thursday night, Infantino made it clear he had no intentions of accepting any offers.

"I am in this race to become the next FIFA president," Infantino told the 41 CONCACAF leaders. "I am not interested in becoming the next secretary general."

After the conclusion of the two-day meeting in Miami, Sheikh Salman’s campaign manager spoke with ATR to clear up any confusion as the Feb. 26 election draws near.

"This is no time to make deals," Salman’s camp tells ATR, despite the fact that Salman believes FIFA needs a consensus candidate before it goes to a vote.

"If we go to election, there will be losers and maybe sometimes you need to avoid that result," he told the Associated Press on Feb. 9.

"And if there is an agreement then I think it is a win-win. Everybody is involved and everybody has a share of the power and gets involved in the decision-making. But everybody has the right to run and go ahead."

Champagne has also made it clear he is not interested in making any alliances before the election just 11-days away.

"There is no response to give except that I am running to become the FIFA president," Champagne tells ATR.

Champagne is continuing along the campaign trail leading up to the election but declined to share his travel plans.

"Keeping my activities not public these days is the best thing to do considering the pressure the FAs are under," he tells ATR.

Although he was not present at the CONCACAF meeting, Sexwale has given no indication that his run at the presidency is over. His campaign took a major hit when he failed to garner the support of the African Football Confederation (CAF) that chose to back Sheikh Salman in the race.

The FIFA candidates will rendezvous once again in Zurich ahead of the FIFA extraordinary congress on Feb. 26 that will decide the future direction of world football.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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