FIFA has announced the names of the seven candidates to replace Sepp Blatter as its president, who is under criminal investigation.
The seven men who will now go forward to the Feb. 26 election are UEFA president Michel Platini, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, Liberian FA president Musa Bility, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman, former diplomat Jerome Champagne, and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.
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Trinidadian ex-footballer David Nakhid was not included on the list despite saying he had submitted his candidacy. Analysts have suggested that he might not have received the five nominations required to stand.
Platini's participation in the election depends on the status of the ban he is serving. Platini is currently banned from football for 90 days pending a disciplinary hearing into a £1.3million payment signed off by outgoing president Blatter in 2011.
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The Candidates
Michel Platini
Michel Platini, 60, became UEFA president in 2007 and his Financial Fair Play regulations have been criticized for not leveling the playing field and instead reducing the Champions League, which has increased its revenue, to a closed competition for the elite. His overhaul of UEFA's international competition, expanding Euros to 24 teams, has been a success. A longtime ally of Blatter, Platini was expected to replace the FIFA president in 2011 but Blatter reneged on his promise to stand down and the pair have been sworn enemies ever since.
Prince Ali bin Al Hussein
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, 39, is the son of the late King Hussein and the late Queen Alia, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977. He is president of the Jordan Football and founder and president of the West Asian Football Federation. He successfully championed the lifting of FIFA's ban on the hijab in women's football. As former FIFA vice president Prince Ali is a potentially strong candidate for the role but lacks support in world football.
Gianni Infantino
Gianni Infantino, 45, has been Platini's right-hand man as UEFA secretary general since 2009. It now seems likely that if Platini is cleared, Infantino will drop out of the race. If Platini is not cleared, the expectation is Infantino would stay in. His future is very much tied up with what happens to Platini. His manifesto involves serving the interest of all 209 FIFA member associations.
Musa Bility
Musa Bility, 48, is president of the Liberian Football Association. He is something of a surprise package who boasts of having offers of support from 25 African associations. He has a checkered history with the African confederation, which in 2013 banned him from all football activity for six months for violating statutes relating to the use of confidential documents. He has been a public critic of Blatter in the past.
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, 49, is president of the Asian Football Confederation. He had originally backed Platini before deciding to enter the race himself. His AFC manifesto was based on targeting match-fixing, grassroots development, and increasing the number of women players. The AFC was the first confederation to hold a women's futsal championship.
Jerome Champagne
Jerome Champagne, 57, is a former French journalist and diplomat who worked under Blatter as political adviser and right-hand man until 2010. He was unable to secure backing from five associations for the May election but has managed to do so for this campaign. His manifesto includes having more World Cup places and more seats on FIFA's Executive Committee.
Tokyo Sexwale
Tokyo Sexwale, 62, a former member of the organizing committee for South Africa's 2010 World Cup, became close to Blatter after working on FIFA's anti-apartheid committee. A former Robben Island prisoner alongside Nelson Mandela, he has served as Cabinet Minister under two South African presidents and once considered running after Mandela. He is the head of FIFA's committee on Israel and Palestine. He has made a fortune through his business interests in oil and diamonds. His chances may depend on how he negotiates the notoriously difficult minefield of African football politics.
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