Candidates in final push for Fifa presidency votes as Blatter and Platini bans cut

Candidates for the Fifa presidency have been lobbying for votes on the final day of campaigning before the election. The five contenders to succeed Sepp Blatter toured meetings of Fifa’s six continental confederations in Geneva to make their case. They began with the Caribbean, North & Central American region, where Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, considered the front-runner, promised members they would keep their committee privileges, apparently bypassing reforms designed to prevent the misuse of presidential patronage. His closest rival, Gianni Infantino, says he will win the election and that he is the only candidate who can offer the genuine reform required to restore world football’s credibility.

We have to focus on football development - if we stop doing politics and start doing football the world will look at us and admire us

Gianni Infantino

The final round of campaigning came hours after Fifa dismissed appeals from Mr Blatter and former Uefa preisdent Michel Platini against their bans from all football activity. However, the pair have had their bans reduced from eight years to six years by the FIFA appeal committee. The news comes after Platini and Blatter’s hearings were held in Zurich earlier this month. The two men were banned in December over a “disloyal payment” of £1.3 milliom between them in 2011, made without a written FIFA contract.

It is crucial we all unite behind the successful candidate after the election.

Fifa’s acting president Issa Hayatou

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