Share

Mourinho and stars endorse Infantino's FIFA bid

London - A stellar cast of football figures including Jose Mourinho and Luis Figo appeared in support of Gianni Infantino's FIFA presidential bid at an event at London's Wembley Stadium on Monday.

UEFA general secretary Infantino, who is bidding to succeed the disgraced Sepp Blatter in the February 26 election in Zurich, was accompanied by a host of glittering names from the game as he outlined his plans for the first 90 days of his presidency.

Mourinho, sacked as Chelsea manager in December, and Figo, himself a former FIFA presidential candidate, were joined by ex-England and AC Milan manager Fabio Capello, Brazil great Roberto Carlos, former Spain captain Fernando Hierro and former Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf.

"I feel a lot of emotion to be here in front of you," Infantino told his audience after video messages from several of the figures present had been played.

"These messages mean a lot to me because they come from those who make football the sport we love."

Former Real Madrid striker Pedrag Mijatovic, ex-Chelsea midfielder Geremi, former Italy goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and former Liverpool winger Vladimir Smicer completed the line-up.

Infantino, 45, faces competition from Bahrain's Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale, Jordan's Prince Ali bin Hussein, a former FIFA vice-president, and former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France.

Addressing the challenges facing the world governing body, reeling from the biggest corruption scandal in its history, Infantino said: "My main task will be to bring football back to FIFA and FIFA back to football.

"The image of FIFA has to grow and come to the top again, and we can do this only if we live and breathe football and work 2,000 percent for football.

"These legends who are here are a testimony for the love we all have for football."

Infantino's proposals for his first 90 days include appointing a new FIFA general secretary, to replace Jerome Valcke, who was sacked for corruption offences, and launching the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup.

The multilingual Swiss also pledged to create a "Legends Team" in order to "promote the social impact of football globally".

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE