The French Football Federation announced yesterday its formal backing for Swiss candidate Gianni Infantino’s bid for the FIFA presidency in a snub for French hopeful Jerome Champagne.

“Noel Le Graet, in the name of the French Football Federation and his executive committee, declares his support for Gianni Infantino,” the FFF said.

It quoted Le Graet as saying the executive committee had voted 11-1 in favour of the move.

“Gianni Infantino has all the qualities needed to succeed,” the federation head said of Infantino, who is currently general secretary of European soccer’s ruling body UEFA.

He added that the Swiss had shown in working with France’s UEFA president Michael Platini, currently subject to an eight-year ban from soccer, that he had the necessary talent, experience and strength of conviction.

Le Graet said Infantino’s manifesto was a step in the right direction for the sport and the federations to restore FIFA’s tarnished image as well as develop the sport and its values worldwide.

The FFA announcement came after a heated exchange between Champagne, one of five candidates seeking soccer’s top job as replacement for disgraced Swiss Sepp Blatter, and the FFF chief on Thursday.

Champagne told Reuters that he had met Le Graet to seek his support when 209 national presidents cast their votes in Zurich next month.

Informed that the FFF would be supporting Infantino, Champagne said he told Le Graet that he would protest against his decision at the highest political level.

Former FIFA deputy general secretary Champagne said Thierry Braillard, the Secretary of State for Sports, and Frederic Thiriez, the president of the French Players’ Union (LFP), had given him their backing.

Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa and Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, of Bahrain, are the other candidates vying for election on February 26.

Infantino has become a front-runner as the campaigning picks up pace, securing broad support from European nations as well as in South and Central America.

He will be in Qatar this weekend along with three other candidates.

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