FIFA’s 209 member associations will vote on a successor for banned President Sepp Blatter next week. And with five candidates seeking the presidency, it may be a truly contested election, something that’s a unique situation for the governing body.
In Blatter’s four elections as president, he faced a single opponent twice and twice ran unopposed. His predecessor as president, Joao Havelange, was never challenged in his 24 years in the position.
The election process is as follows: Each FIFA association holds one vote, but the associations (which typically represent individual countries) largely vote alongside the suggestion of their continental geographic confederations. A secret ballot is taken, and if any candidate receives two-thirds of the votes in the first round, that person is elected. If not, another vote is taken, and a simple majority becomes the target. At this point, the candidate who receives the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and additional rounds of voting occur until someone is elected.
The candidates over the last few weeks have been doing the equivalent of stump speeches around the globe, meeting with federation officials and outlining their goals for FIFA going forward. While much can still change in the coming week, two candidates have emerged as the front-runners in the minds of many in global soccer (Gianni Infantino and Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa), and a third candidate (Prince Ali bin Hussein) appears to be sitting just on the outside of that group.
U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati had not come out in support of any candidate as of last week and plans to meet with all five candidates prior to the vote. In the FIFA presidential election last year, which saw Blatter re-elected, U.S. Soccer publicly backed Ali, Blatter’s challenger.
Meet the candidates: Why they could win and what they must overcome
Gianni Infantino
■ From: Switzerland
■ Currently: UEFA general secretary
■ Notable: His campaign has largely been focused on introducing further reforms and governance measures to FIFA. He’s also advocated for expanding the World Cup from 32 teams to 40 and staging the tournament across regions instead of in a single country.
■ Why he could win: He’s received broad support across the European federations, given his role with UEFA, the governing body for the continent.
■ Obstacles: Infantino was second-in-command to now banned UEFA president and previously suggested Blatter successor Michel Platini. There’s also the perception that he might serve as FIFA general secretary under a Salman presidency, which could cause him to lose support for the president’s role.
Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa
■ From: Bahrain
■ Currently: Asian Football Confederation president
■ Notable: His campaign has touted his experience in rebuilding the Asian confederation in just three years as president, as well as a desire to fully separate FIFA’s now-intertwined soccer operations and commercial activities.
■ Why he could win: He’s expected to carry much of the vote from Asia, which holds the largest voting bloc in the election, with 54 votes. His campaign also received a boost last week when the African Football Confederation voted to back his efforts.
■ Obstacles: He’s come under fire from human rights groups that have alleged he played a role in the detention and abuse of athletes in 2011 in his native Bahrain. He has denied all connections. He also oversaw the FIFA task force that shifted the 2022 World Cup to the winter, a vastly unpopular move among European associations.
Prince Ali bin Hussein
■ From: Jordan
■ Currently: Jordan Football Association president and FIFA vice president for Asia
■ Notable: Defeated by Blatter in last year’s election, Ali is campaigning around bringing radical reforms to FIFA, such as a two-term limit for the presidency and disclosure of all FIFA finances, including the salaries of its executive committee members.
■ Why he could win: His ability to attract strong support against Blatter last year and his long list of reform ideas could appeal to the smaller federations.
u Obstacle: Without the support of an overarching confederation, he will lack the backing votes to compete with either Infantino or Salman.
Tokyo Sexwale
■ From: South Africa
■ Currently: Businessman and FIFA anti-racism adviser
■ Notable: His campaign has focused on providing soccer-related investments to small and poor nations, as well as in women’s soccer.
■ Why he could win: His background as an anti-apartheid activist and focus on investing in underdeveloped nations could help attract votes.
■ Obstacles: His legitimacy as a candidate was heavily contingent on the backing of the entire African Football Confederation, which instead has come out in support of Salman. He also was a member of the 2010 World Cup organizing committee. A $10 million payment by FIFA to another association tied to hosting that tournament in South Africa has been labeled a bribe by the U.S. Department of Justice, which Sexwale has been quoted as saying is “worrisome.”
Jérôme Champagne
■ From: France
■ Currently: Former FIFA executive under Blatter now serving as a consultant to national football federations
■ Notable: His long career within FIFA gives him a position the rest of the candidates don’t have, and his ouster from the governing body — he contends he was pushed out by Blatter in 2010 after requesting reforms — places him as a potential agent for change.
■ Why he could win: His career in soccer provides him with a large number of allies across the globe, and he has the reputation as a dealmaker who can work behind the scenes.
■ Obstacles: He tried to campaign for president in the last election but dropped out after failing to attract much support. With a larger slate of candidates, he’ll likely suffer the same fate.
