Sexwale reveals his Fifa election manifesto
Strategy is to repair damage to the brand globally, and win back trust
TOKYO Sexwale has unveiled his election manifesto which will underpin his campaign to replace Sepp Blatter as the president of Fifa (International Federation of Association Football), when voting takes place in February.
Some of the features of the manifesto which presidential candidate Sexwale headlines “For a renewed Fifa” include the need to understand that these are difficult times for the world body.
“This manifesto is the basis for a turnaround strategy, not only to repair the damage done to the Fifa brand globally, but more so to restructure the organisation and win back the trust and confidence of all our stakeholders – fans, players, officials, administrators, partners, sponsors, governments, the media and other important players including children who are football’s future.”
Sexwale said the Football Associations (FAs) from all 205 countries must have ownership of Fifa through directly electing the executive at congress, in the same way they elect the president.
He says this will resolve the electoral discrepancy of the FAs’ only electing the president at congress whose “cabinet” is appointed elsewhere.
“This full transparency of the electoral process shall ensure that Fifa adheres to the principles of international best practice and good governance which is today’s yardstick for measuring global organisation like ours.
“This manifesto, therefore, is in full support of the decision by the Fifa executive committee to set in motion the process of the 2016 Fifa reform committee, appointed by the six Fifa confederations, aimed at recommending “significant changes to Fifa’s institutional structure and operational processes”.
“The watchword is transparency – both in decision-making and in financial management and control systems.
Sexwale says Fifa is an organisation of relatively wealthy and needy members associations.
“This reality is a reflection of our world of rich and poor nations. Therefore, the development support and financial assistance programme for less well-to-do FAs must be strengthened. While maintaining adequate cash reserves to maintain Fifa as a going concern, a prudent distribution of funds to FAs will be done in an equitable and responsible manner.
“Football, the world’s biggest sport, must continue to be enhanced in all 205 nations. It is currently played by approximately 300 million people and watched by billions across the world. There is room for more growth and development. This is my strategic priority.
“Thus, the vast and yet-to-be fully tapped market of football in large societies, eg China and India, will receive more attention with the strong probability of increased revenue sources from these large economic areas.
“Concerning the game in football’s traditional areas like Europe; everything shall be done to ensure its growth because it is not in every part of Europe that football is played in major centres like Wembley, Bernabéu or Allianz Arena. There are disadvantaged areas in Europe, far away from the glare of cameras at centres.”
Sexwale says the greatest area of need for the development of football away from