News Digest

…and then there were 4: Blatter and three others battle for FIFA top job

FIFA has confirmed that three challengers have bid to stand against the incumbent Sepp Blatter in its presidential election in May. Dutch FA president Michael Van Praag, FIFA vice-president Prince Ali of Jordan and former Portuguese international Luis Figo have all been nominated by at least five member associations, the minimum required, as has Blatter. All four candidates will now face integrity and ethics checks that have to be completed within 10 days and only then will they be formally declared for the election, to be held on 29 May at the FIFA Congress in Zurich.

The script of the next few weeks and months calls for proxy candidates to wage the battles that others did not have the courage to fight.

Sepp Blatter

Blatter, 78, is standing for a fifth term as president, having previously said he would stand down at the end of this term. He already has pledges of support from the continental confederations of Asia, Africa and South America, but is facing a concerted and co-ordinated challenge from Europe, which is providing significant backing to his opponents. UEFA president Michel Platini, long considered Blatter’s likeliest successor, decided not to challenge his former mentor directly. But at his prompting, European nations are pushing the trio of alternative candidates.