Soccer-Penpix of likely FIFA presidential candidates

By Mike Collett LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - With Thursday's 2300 GMT deadline approaching for candidates to declare their intention to enter the FIFA presidential election race, the following are penpix of those expected to enter the campaign which will be decided with a vote at the FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29. To be accepted as an official candidate, those wishing to run must have the nominations of five national football associations and prove they have been actively engaged in football for at least two of the last five years. FIFA is expected to announce the official list of those qualified to take part in the first week of February. The candidates: Sepp Blatter, Switzerland, aged 78. The current FIFA president is the overwhelming favourite to see off any challenge and win a fifth term of office in May. Blatter has been in charge since 1998 and, despite FIFA being buffeted by one crisis after another for most of his time in office, the Swiss remains popular with many associations around the world who are happy with the grants and donations they regularly receive from the sport's world governing body. Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, Jordan, 39. Prince Ali is among a group of relatively younger, newer members of the FIFA executive committee, joining in 2011 after being elected as FIFA's Asian vice-president. The third son of the late King Hussein, he has been president of the Jordan FA since he was 25. He successfully campaigned for Muslim women to be allowed to wear the hijab head scarf while playing soccer and established the Asian Football Development Fund, a non-profit organisation helping to develop grass-roots football in Asia. Jerome Champagne, France, 56. A career diplomat until he joined FIFA in 1998 where he rose to the position of deputy secretary general before being ousted in a power-play coup in 2010. He was the first to declare his candidature in January last year and has illuminated the debate with concrete proposals for reform. Has helped find solutions to political football problems in Palestine, Kosovo and Cyprus. Michael van Praag, Netherlands, 67. The president of the Dutch FA (KNVB) and former chairman of Ajax Amsterdam, Van Praag declared his intention to run on Monday, three days before nominations closed, and at a news conference on Wednesday named the six countries backing his challenge. Van Praag, a member of the UEFA executive committee, said the time had come to modernise FIFA, replace Blatter and introduce a bigger World Cup. His intention is to stand for one four-year term. Luis Figo, Portugal, 42. The former Real Madrid and Barcelona winger declared his intention to stand on Wednesday, one day before the deadline to enter the race, saying he had the five nominations to be accepted as an official candidate. Figo, one of the greatest players of his generation, says he is appalled at FIFA's deteriorating standards and the time has come to rebuild trust in the game. David Ginola, France, 48. Another former international footballer but, unlike Figo, the Frenchman's candidature has been dismissed as a stunt, with a bookmaking firm paying him 250,000 pounds ($379,800) to stand whether he makes it on to the official ballot paper or not. ($1 = 0.6583 British Pounds) (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ken Ferris)