Who are the 5 faces "racing" for the FIFA President seat?

(Baonghean.vn) - FIFA will elect a new President today (February 26), in a vote considered extremely important to restoring the image of the world football governing body after recent scandals.

Let's take a look at 5 prominent names "racing" for this executive position:

The five candidates for the FIFA presidency (clockwise from top to bottom, left to right): Gianni Infantino, a dual Italian and Swiss national, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain, Jerome Champagne of France, Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa and Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan. Photo: AFP.

- UEFA Man -

Gianni Infantino is known as the host of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), but behind the scenes he also played a key role in providing the federation with the financial capacity to compete with FIFA when he held the position of Secretary General of this body.

The Italian-Swiss lawyer with a distinctive shaved head is currently in a fierce battle to become FIFA president, after running with an ambitious plan for world football's governing body, including expanding the World Cup and increasing funding for federations.

- Mr. Sheikh -

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa is a football executive and member of the Bahraini royal family, whose sister is the wife of the Gulf monarch.

He has built strong support despite human rights issues that have overshadowed his campaign, and has vowed to see FIFA rise like a “phoenix”.

- Prince -

The younger brother of a king and an army general who previously ran FIFA, Jordanian Prince Ali bin al Hussein was hailed in a tough race against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency last year.

However, the loyal Arsenal fan is now trying to gain more support, participating in the election to fight against the "backroom deals" that he says are one of the causes of FIFA's persistent problems.

- Pele's Choice -

Jerome Champagne spent 11 years as a senior FIFA official under Sepp Blatter. Although he was recommended by the king of football, Pele, Champagne's path to the FIFA leadership position seems quite far away.

He once declared that he would “carry out reforms of this agency from within.”

- Anti-racist hero -

Tokyo Sexwale, who spent time in prison with Nelson Mandela and later became a business magnate and politician, is now vying to become the first African-born FIFA leader.

However, he has received continued criticism for his campaign, failing to gain the support of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and is unlikely to receive the vote of the South African nation.

Thu Giang

(According to AFP)