Nakhid questions credentials of FIFA presidential rival Platini

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-FIFA presidential candidate David Nakhid, the former Trinidad and Tobago captain, is questioning the credentials of rival Michel Platini, who is also seeking to replace Sepp Blatter as president of the world’s football governing body.

Nakhid, who is seeking the support of the Carib-bean Football Union’s (CFU) 25 FIFA nations, is also questioning Platini’s long-standing association with Blatter and his ability to enact changes to a global body that has been rocked by scandal.

David Nakhid
David Nakhid

Platini, the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), has been a FIFA executive committee member for 13 years.

“Platini has been positioning himself as a reformer, but how can that be?” Nakhid said.

“Those who are vying for the post should be scrutinised and looked at. How can someone claim to be free or not tainted when he has been part of the circle that has basically brought football down a sorry path?”

Nakhid has focused is campaign on a promise to consult rather than impose changes to the 32-team World Cup and to ensure that richer nations spread their wealth to the developing world.