David Ginola is being paid £250,000 by Paddy Power to stand for Fifa president
David Ginola is being paid £250,000 by bookmakers Paddy Power to stand in the Fifa presidency elections next year.
The former Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa star, known for his long locks and shampoo commercials, shocked the football world last night when he revealed his intention to stand against Blatter.
Ginola launched his charge for the most powerful job in football at a press conference hosted by Paddy Power in London today, where it was revealed the 47-year-old was being paid by the bookmaker, casting doubts over the legitimacy of his campaign.
The Frenchman struggled to answer questions on some of the key issues affecting the football world, including third-party ownership and the international football association board.
Regardless of his association with a bookmaker known more for its controversial publicity stunts than altruistic campaigns for the betterment of world sport, Ginola will have a tough task receiving the required five nominations from members of Fifa’s executive committee.
However, he has insisted he is serious in his attempts to change football for the better. In an interview hosted on Paddy Power’s website he said:
My aim is that people can feel they’ve been given back a voice and a respect for the world game.That people can say: "Wow, what a massive change. We had that before and now we have transparency, common-sense, defendable [sic] decisions and policies which can be understood, explained and which are crystal-clear in their philosophy".