FIFA Presidential Candidates Target African Votes

(ATR)Jerome Champagne tells Around the Rings he met with African football leaders Thursday and believes his support for the game on the continent will bring backing for his FIFA campaign.

"I have been interviewed this morning," the former FIFA deputy general secretary told ATR from Kigali, Rwanda, ahead of Friday’s crunch meeting of African football leaders that will have a major influence on who becomes the new FIFA chief in the Feb. 26 election.

He declined to say what kind of feedback he had received from a Confederation of African Football committee monitoring the FIFA candidacies, or what manifesto pledges had most impressed the officials grilling him.

ATR understands that the CAF committee, composed of general secretary Hicham El Amrani and two African vice presidents Almamy Kabele Camara and Suketu Patel, are speaking with all five FIFA candidates on Thursday. The panel is expected to make a recommendation to the ExCo on who Africa should endorse, with the announcement coming on Friday. In Kigali, the candidates are also meeting federation leaders one by one in a frenetic round of lobbying.

Champagne told ATR that today he met CAF president Issa Hayatou in the Kigali stadium where the African National Championship semi-final between DR Congo and Guinea took place. DR Congo won 5-4 on penalties.

Champagne revealed little about his conversation with Hayatou, a nod to the diplomatic way he’s running his campaign.

Asked if Hayatou had given any indication to him that he would secure African backing for his FIFA campaign, Champagne said: "Mr. Hayatou indicated that being the FIFA acting president, he takes no role in the current election."

Hayatou last month was forced to step aside from his CAF presidential role following conflict of interest accusations after CAF signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Asian Football Confederation, headed by FIFA presidential contender Sheikh Salman. However, he will still wield considerable influence in persuading African FAs to support one particular FIFA hopeful.

Salman’s camp has indicated in recent days to ATR that he expects significant African support. Friday’s decision by CAF could be a game-changer in the FIFA race whether or not the AFC chief wins the endorsement. CAF is the largest football confederation; 54 member federations will cast their votes in the FIFA election two weeks tomorrow.

Champagne believes the Bahraini candidate’s confidence in landing African support is misplaced.

The Frenchman has met and presented his manifesto to all Africanfootball leaders in recent months "except a limited few" and suggests his African connections will pay dividends, if not with the official CAF endorsement then in the election itself.

"I have been helping African football for more than 15 years," he said, refusing to put a figure on how many expressions of support he has garnered in the six regional confederations and the 209 FIFA federations.

"So many things will occur in the coming weeks that this kind of breakdown does not make sense," he said.

"Moreover, summing up the number of guaranteed votes some candidates pretend to have, is probably exceeding the number of the 209 FAs member of FIFA."

In a dig at rival candidates, he also doubts that some of their expressions of support from federations will deliver votes on D-day.

"The electoral history of FIFA reveals that public and ‘unanimous signed statements of support’ do not automatically transfer in votes in the polling station," Champagne said.

Champagne is up against Gianni Infantino, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, Sheikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale in the race for the FIFA presidency.

Infantino, who is keeping a running tally of FAs said to be backing him, has built up some connections in Africa after presenting his FIFA vision to the CAF Executive Committee in Cairo, one day after his candidacy was announced a few months ago.

While the UEFA secretary general appears to have a stranglehold on European and South American support – over 30 FAs have endorsed him – a successful campaign depends on his ability to make inroads in Africa.

ATR is told by Infantino’s camp that the 45-year-old has presented his FIFA vision and reform proposals "to the vast majority of the African leaders" and will meet more in the coming days and the next fortnight.

Asked if Infantino could count on expressions of support from Africa or Asia, Sheikh Salman’s stamping ground, his spokesman said: "Yes. Several African and Asian countries have expressed their support for Gianni."

Written by Mark Bisson

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