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Soccer

'I don't think anybody's looking good here'

At least four names are expected to be in the hat to challenge Sepp Blatter's presidency at FIFA....



'I don't think anybody...
Soccer

'I don't think anybody's looking good here'

At least four names are expected to be in the hat to challenge Sepp Blatter's presidency at FIFA.

Tonight is the deadline for the candidates to officially put themselves forward or pull out.

David Ginola has dropped out of the race, but Dutch FA chief Michael van Praag, ex-Real Madrid and Barcelona winger Luis Figo, Jordanian FA head Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein and former FIFA official Jerome Champagne are all expected to be involved.

Tonight on Off The Ball, we were joined by Bloomberg News sportswriter Tariq Panja, who says that European Football Associations are hoping for as many candidates as possible.

"They're trying to flood this election without potential opponents to Blatter in order to try and take this vote into the latter stages where a simple majority is needed and sort of break up some of his momentum," said Panja, who added that calls for change will come from multiple directions now rather than a single voice.

But in terms of actually toppling the long-time FIFA boss, he is not very optimistic, saying: "I think it's a tall order to think that anyone can beat Sepp Blatter". 

Panja explained that the Swiss' power base is wide, including in some part of Europe, even though some section of UEFA are pushing hardest for change at the top.

The increased revenue in the game has also played into Blatter's hands, with much of the poorer voting blocs benefiting. 

"Effectively they've been getting more and more money during Blatter's period in office. In fact, during the World Cup in 2014, he gave a $650K bonus to each national federation. For the likes of Germany, Italy, the US and England, it might not be a huge amount of money. But if you're there in Guam, the Congo or even the FAI, parts of the Caribbean, Asia, parts of Eastern Europe, this is really big money and you're really thankful to your patron."  

Panja focused in on Figo's decision to join the race late in the day. His role working in football since retiring, following a career as an elite player. But he also questioned whether the former Portugal captain would be a credible administrator.    

Panja also gave his take on the other candidates like Van Praag, Champagne and Al-Hussein and the question marks that hang over each of them.

"I don't think anybody's looking good here, to be short," he concluded.

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