Champagne: FIFA election not about ´personal ambitions´

Jerome Champagne feels the race for the FIFA presidency should not become personal after Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein put his name forward.

Champagne confirmed last year that he would be running against Sepp Blatter for the world football governing body’s top job.

Blatter and FIFA as a whole have come in for criticism in recent times, with the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups coming under intense scrutiny amid accusations of corruption.

Earlier on Tuesday, Al Hussein announced he would also be standing in a bid to “shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport”.

In response to that claim, Champagne released a statement of his own, and heeded a warning about the election turning into a personal battle.

“As I have been saying consistently, the 2015 election is not about personal ambitions or fights between institutions,” he said.

“It is about football, its governance but also its future with a clear choice:

– Growing polarisation and inequalities. Or universality;
– Continued inner rivalries and image problems for FIFA and football. Or reconciliation, inclusion and re-building of the reputation;
– Risk of losing control on the game taken away by those wishing to serve themselves. Or stronger governance to serve football at national, continental and world levels as well as the national FAs, the members of FIFA.

“It is about evolution for what needs imperatively to be changed in the future and about continuity for what has been done correctly in the past!

“It is about platforms, concrete proposals and visions! Mine are known, clear and public.

“So let’s wait for the release of the other alleged candidates’ programmes and let’s start the democratic and fair debate that I have been calling upon since the first day of my campaign on 20th January 2014!

“The debate we all and football need.”