Jerome Champagne, a former advisor of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will stand for the top job in world football but thinks he would lose to his former boss in a vote.
Champagne, 55, announced his candidacy at a news conference in London today but would not say if he would still run for the job if Blatter went for a fifth term. Blatter will reveal his plans just before the FIFA Congress in June.
However, asked if he would win an election which also included the Swiss, Champagne admitted: “If he stands I don’t think so.”
The French former diplomat wants to change FIFA and said: “We need a different FIFA, more democratic, more respected, which behaves better and which does more.”
He backs countries such as England who fear too many foreign players are affecting the fortunes of the national team, and would look to limit those numbers.
He said: “The number of domestic players in the top league here is down to 32 per cent and I totally support [FA chairman] Greg Dyke when he said ‘I am not afraid of the word quota’.”
Champagne had 11 years at FIFA, including three as deputy secretary general, after being part of the organising committee for the 1998 World Cup in France.
