Kitzbühel (Austria), 6 oct (dpa) – El ex futbolista y ex entrenador alemán Franz Beckenbauer volvió a abogar hoy por el sudafricano Tokyo Sexwale como sucesor del suizo Joseph Blatter al frente de la FIFA.
Tokyo Sexwale
«He mencionado a Tokyo porque también estuvo y está en el deporte y porque es muy inteligente. Además tiene los contactos», dijo el gurú del fútbol alemán en un simposio organizado por él, el Camp Beckenbauer, en la ciudad austriaca de Kitzbühel.
Sexwale, antiguo luchador por los derechos civiles en la Sudáfrica del apartheid, es uno de los invitados estrella en la reunión. El político de 62 años estuvo preso junto al ex presidente del país Nelson Mandela.
«Pienso que la DFB (Federación Alemana de Fútbol) apoyaría su candidatura», agregó Beckenbauer.
Sexwale es presidente en la FIFA de la comisión para la mejora de las relaciones futbolísticas entre Israel y Palestina. Además, el sudafricano está considerado como un candidato libre de sospechas en los escándalos de corrupción que azotan al ente rector del fútbol mundial.
El propio intersado se mostró no obstante ambigüo respecto a sus intenciones. «Veremos qué es lo que pasa», dijo.
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ENGLISH:
Beckenbauer praises South African Sexwale as potential FIFA candidate
Berlin (dpa) – German football great Franz Beckenbauer believes South African Tokyo Sexwale would be a serious challenger if he decides to stand for the FIFA presidency.
«As a confidante of (Nelson) Mandela he knows the political arena well and also gained football experience at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,» Beckenbauer, a former FIFA executive committee member, told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
«Maybe it would do FIFA good to have a president who comes from the outside.»
Sexwale, 62, a politician and businessman, who like Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, is leading a FIFA committee monitoring Israeli-Palestinian relations.
He has yet to decide on whether to stand for the presidency. FIFA has set an October 26 deadline for contenders to be nominated by at least five national federations.
«Should Tokyo Sexwale stand he will be a very serious challenger for every other candidate,» Beckenbauer said.
FIFA will elect a president to succeed Joseph Blatter at an extraordinary congress in Zurich on February 26.
UEFA president Michel Platini had been seen as favourite to succeed Blatter, but uncertainties now surround the election after Swiss prosecutors on September 25 opened criminal investigations against Blatter.
Platini was questioned by Swiss prosecutors «as a person asked to provide information» over a suspected «disloyal payment» of 2 million Swiss francs (about 2 million dollars) by Blatter to Platini in February 2011. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
Platini is so far standing against Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan and former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong Joon of South Korea. Former Brazil international Zico is also considering standing but has yet to gather enough nominations.
