Former Portugal star Figo enters contest to replace Blatter at Fifa
THE FIGHT to oust Sepp Blatter as president of football world governing body Fifa has taken another twist after former Portugal star Luis Figo announced his candidacy.
Figo’s surprise move yesterday saw him become the second man in as many days to stand against Blatter, after Dutch chief Michael van Praag declared his interest on Tuesday.
It took the number of likely candidates to four, with Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan also set to seek office in May, when Blatter, 78, hopes top achieve a fifth term.
Former Barcelona and Real Madrid playmaker Figo, 42, said: “I care about football, so what I’m seeing regarding the image of Fifa – not only now but in the past years – I don’t like it.
“If you search Fifa on the internet you see the first word that comes out: scandal, not positive words. It’s that we have to change first and try to improve the image of Fifa. Football deserves much better than this.”
French former Fifa official Jerome Champagne and ex-Tottenham player David Ginola have also vowed to stand but may not receive the required five nominations from governing bodies.
Fifa has suffered wide-ranging allegations regarding the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.