Issa Hayatou kicked off his bid for the Fifa presidency on Thursday with two promises likely to appeal to incumbent Sepp Blatter’s critics.
The Caf chief has promised a new era of opennesss at Fifa and a radical shake up of World Cup allocations if he unseats Blatter on 29 May in Seoul.
Speaking at the formal launch of his campaign in Paris, Hayatou said transparency will be one of the principles of his code of conduct.
He said: « It’s essential that all governments, as all public or private enterprises, respect the principle of openness.
« It’s time for a new era for Fifa and to bring to an end the nasty atmosphere that has blighted the last few years. »
But Hayatou will win himself very few friends, if any, in South America, with his promise to alter the current arrangement for World Cup places.
Extra ticket
He said the number of South American teams at future World Cups would be limited to three, while guaranteeing a place for Oceania and awarding an extra ticket to Asia.
« The number of places given to federations for the World Cup is the essential point of my programme.
« At the moment there’s a situation which is not fair. The South American federation has five places at the World Cup, but it only has 10 members ».
