the Fifapresidency.
Champagne will challenge Sepp Blatter, who announced last week that
he would definitely stand for a fifth term, a reversal of his
previous insistence that he would stand down. The 56-year-old is a
former diplomat who joined Fifa in 1999, serving as an executive for
11 years.
Since leaving the world governing body in 2010 he has advised various
football federations and was football commissioner for the World
Festival of Black Arts in Dakar.
Champagne confirmed his candidacy in a letter posted on his website,
which read: "I have the honour of informing you that I have just
written to Fifa to confirm my intention to run for president. On a
personal level, I am happy that the debate about the future of Fifa
and football has finally begun with the prospect of various
candidates.
"First and foremost, debating about issues is a normal process in an
institution based on democratic principles. Then, this debate is
particularly indispensable for football.
"We have to take clear and informed decisions on whether we want to
continue with the current economic polarisation, and the sporting
imbalances it brings in its wake, or be willing to rebalance the game
in our globalised 21st century."
Champagne went on to call for Fifa to be more democratic, inclusive
and receptive to its member organisations, while he has also proposed
public and televised debates to be held between all the candidates.
He added: "The 2015 election must not be determined on the basis of
individual appeal but on vision and agenda, to which we must commit
for the next decade, and the willingness and ability to diligently
execute a programme that has been agreed to by the invested parties.
"The next 10 years will be crucial for football and very particularly
for Fifa, which is at a crossroads and in need of sweeping changes
that must take it further than what has been accomplished to date."
The election will take place at the Fifa congress in May.
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