Presidential rival: I’d lose against Blatter

The first candidate to announce he will stand for the Fifa presidency next year has admitted he would struggle to beat Sepp Blatter if he decides to seek a fifth term in office.

Jerome Champagne, a French ex-diplomat who is a former advisor of Blatter’s, refused to say whether he would stand against his old boss and conceded he would probably lose if he did so.

Champagne’s admission prompted speculation over the reasons for announcing his candidacy, but he insisted he is not a stalking horse to deter other potential opponents to 77-year-old Blatter, who has been Fifa president since 1998.