FIFA Contenders Set for European Parliament Debate

(ATR) FIFA presidential candidates will participate in a forum on the future of the embattled world football federation at the European Parliament on Jan. 27.

Three of the five candidates - Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino and Tokyo Sexwale - have indicated they will attend.

Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein is said to be trying to rearrange his schedule to take part in the Brussels debate. Shaikh Salman is unable to attend due to a series of Asian Football Confederation meetings at the end of the month.

The FIFA contenders have been invited to present their plans to reform the organisation and lead the scandal-battered body which was rocked by corruption and more than two dozen indictments in 2015.

Investigations by US and Swiss authorities are ongoing, while outgoing FIFA president is currently fighting an eight-year ban from football over a "disloyal" $2.1 million payment to UEFA boss Michel Platini, who is also appealing his lengthy ban.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport tells Around the Rings on Monday that neither Blatter or Platini has lodged any appeal yet. "And no information from Michel Platini about a potential direct appeal to CAS," said a spokesman.

Platini's very slim hopes of being a FIFA presidential candidate rest on him successfully appealing his eight-year ban and then passing a FIFA integrity check.

The Brussels forum for the candidates vying to replace Blatter at the Feb. 26 FIFA presidential election is being organized jointly by the European Parliament Sports Intergroup and the #NewFIFANow campaign group.

"The candidates' presentations and debate in Brussels are expected to form a timely opportunity for candidates to lay out how they will bring much-needed democracy, transparency and accountability to FIFA," said a #NewFIFANow statement.

MEP Emma McClarkin, who earlier this year co-organised an inaugural event in Brussels which kicked-off the #NewFIFANow campaign, said: "I am looking forward to hearing from the candidates.

"The world will be watching closely. This should be an exciting opportunity for them to tell us what they will do to reform FIFA. Football supporters' confidence in the organisation is at an all-time low but hopefully this event can help determine which of the candidates they can place their trust in, if any."

Fellow MEP Ivo Belet, who also helped organize the inaugural forum in January, added: "FIFA is in need of a leader who represents a clean break with the past and restores confidence in the world's most popular sport. We want to discuss with the candidates their plans for FIFA reform and how they intend to make FIFA a trustworthy organisation again."

Written by Mark Bisson

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