TOKYO Sexwale’s campaign for the presidency of soccer’s world governing body Fifa is in full swing.
Sexwale flew to Zurich, Switzerland, with Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony last night, where he met several voting delegates from across the world to convince them to vote for him.
The former Robben Island inmate will then fly to Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday to join Caf delegates in attending the opening of the African Nations Championship tournament on Saturday.
Sexwale was among five candidates who met the criteria for the job, together with Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Jerome Champagne and Gianni Infantino.
The next Fifa president to replace Sepp Blatter will be decided at Fifa’s extraordinary congress on 26 February.
A source close to Sexwale told SunSport: “This is a massive opportunity for Sexwale to gain votes and receive the backing of several countries’ federations. Having delegates from across the world in one room will make it easier for him to get their vote.”
Sexwale wants to make history by becoming the first African to head football’s governing body in its 111-year history. If he gets the job, Sexwale has promised to be the broom that sweeps Fifa clean of corruption.
“If elected I will ensure we act on the basis of international best practice‚ transparency‚ good democracy‚ openness and financial accountability. Those are the things – or the lack of them – that caused the problem‚ so we are prepared to clean up,” he said.
The 62-year-old former politician, one of South Africa’s richest men, was jailed alongside former president Nelson Mandela. He served 13 years of an 18-year sentence on terrorism charges. Sexwale was a member of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup bid team and serves on Fifa’s anti-racism and anti-discrimination committee. He compared racism to “a monster that is trying to infiltrate sporting fields”.
He is also a Fifa media committee member.
