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Champagne says to restore sanity at FIFA

Xinhua, November 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Frenchman Jerome Champagne campaigning for FIFA presidency said he will bring back stability and transparency at the global football governing body if elected.

Champagne told Xinhua in an interview that basing on his 11-year experience he knows what is needed to make the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) better.

The 57-year consultant in international football together with another FIFA presidential aspirant Prince Al bin Hussein have been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to solicit for votes from members of the Council for East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa).

Cecafa is currently holding the 2015 Senior Challenge Cup that has brought together Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, Zanzibar and Kenya.

Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and the visiting team Malawi are also participating in the tournament.

"I have what it takes to make FIFA better and get its image back to the top," said Champagne.

The FIFA elections are slated to take place on February 26, 2016 at the headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

They will seek to find a successor to the suspended Sepp Blatter, who is under criminal investigation.

Champagne castigated people harshly blaming Blatter for all the wrongs at FIFA.

He said Blatter has done so much for FIFA and does not deserve to be criticized in the way it is being done.

"All that has gone wrong in FIFA is collective responsibility," Champagne said. Endit