BFA to consult on FIFA presidency
Mqondisi Dube | Wednesday October 28, 2015 18:00
BFA president Tebogo Sebogo said all stakeholders, including government, are going to be consulted before a final decision is taken.
The FIFA election take place next February following Sepp Blatter’s decision to step down amid swelling accusations of graft. “It is too early for me to say who we will settle for. We have to see who the candidates are first.
But we will consult as extensively as possible with whoever has interest in the game. Government is a key stakeholder in football and there is nothing wrong about finding out their view,” Sebogo said.
He said although voting is by secret ballot, “it would be nice to be together”.
Sebego expects consultations to start in due course as voting is only four months away.
He said their choice would not be influenced by the candidate’s place of origin, instead it would be about the profile of the person.
“It should be about someone who can take FIFA forward. FIFA needs fresh ideas and it would be interesting to see who makes the cut,” Sebego said. President Ian Khama, early this year soon after Blatter’s re-election, criticised BFA’s decision to back the long serving Swiss, arguing he has presided over a scandal hit organisation.
Former South African minister, Tokyo Sexwale made a late submission for the FIFA presidency together with seven others.
BFA had appeared to back Frenchman, Michel Platini but his woes mounted when he was suspended over a perculiar P15million payment the UEFA president accepted from FIFA in 2011.
He, however, made the cut but is likely to divide opinion leaving Prince Ali bin al-Hussein as the early favourite. The Jordanian lost to Blatter in this year’s election.