<p>FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne is out of the race after failing to win sufficient backing for his bid, saying that national associations feared "reprisals" if they supported him.</p>.<p>Champagne, needing the backing of five national associations for his bid, said in a statement that he had won the backing of only three.<br /><br />The Frenchman said he had lost sponsorship after former Portugal forward Luis Figo and Dutch FA president Michael van Praag announced last week they would stand.<br />Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, a FIFA executive committee member, also announced early last month he was in the race to unseat Sepp Blatter.<br /><br />"The institutions have mobilised to eliminate the only independent candidate," said Champagne, who has campaigned against what he says is growing inequality in the sport.<br />"The latest events orchestrated in secret... distributing letters of support between candidates, made me lose sponsorships especially in Europe.<br /><br />"I also note that I would have been a candidate with the old version of the rules, and that I cannot be one with the new modifications adopted in 2013 on a UEFA proposal."<br /></p>
<p>FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne is out of the race after failing to win sufficient backing for his bid, saying that national associations feared "reprisals" if they supported him.</p>.<p>Champagne, needing the backing of five national associations for his bid, said in a statement that he had won the backing of only three.<br /><br />The Frenchman said he had lost sponsorship after former Portugal forward Luis Figo and Dutch FA president Michael van Praag announced last week they would stand.<br />Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, a FIFA executive committee member, also announced early last month he was in the race to unseat Sepp Blatter.<br /><br />"The institutions have mobilised to eliminate the only independent candidate," said Champagne, who has campaigned against what he says is growing inequality in the sport.<br />"The latest events orchestrated in secret... distributing letters of support between candidates, made me lose sponsorships especially in Europe.<br /><br />"I also note that I would have been a candidate with the old version of the rules, and that I cannot be one with the new modifications adopted in 2013 on a UEFA proposal."<br /></p>