ESPN invites Fifa presidential candidates to live TV debate

ESPN has invited the five candidates in the Fifa presidential election to participate in a live televised debate.

The vote for the next president of world football's governing body will take place on 26 February in Zurich.

The candidates are Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, Tokyo Sexwale, Gianni Infantino and Jerome Champagne.

According to sportingintelligence.com  the American broadcaster wants to stage the event in London on 29 January.

Champagne told the website: "I can tell you that ESPN proposed to the candidates a televised debate and I have already expressed my agreement."

Who are the Fifa candidates?

• Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, 40, is president of the Jordan Football Association (Profile)
• Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, 49, is Asian Football Confederation president (Profile)
• Tokyo Sexwale, 62, is a South African former government minister (Profile)
• Gianni Infantino, 45, is Uefa's general secretary (Profile)
• Jerome Champagne, 57, is a former Fifa executive (Profile)

This month Sepp Blatter, president since 1998, and Uefa boss Michel Platini - who had hoped to run as a candidate in the Fifa election - were suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.

They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.

Blatter and Platini deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).