In a proposal sure to catch the eye of the most successful national club competitions, such as England's Premier League, one of Champagne's core ideas is for this council, assembling representatives of FIFA, confederations, associations, leagues and beneficiaries, to manage a "world fund" including a "contribution" calculated on a percentage of internationally-sold TV rights.

While much has been achieved over the past 40 years, Champagne argues, "these efforts were not able to block the gap between the most privileged one per cent in football and the remaining 99 per cent from growing, [both] between continents and between the countries of the same continent, notably in Europe".

The most "relevant" reason explaining this, he maintains, is "the fact that the organisers of the most followed and prestigious competitions collect very important revenues out of their territories without any real redistribution, nor any substantial solidarity to benefit football in the countries where they are broadcast".

Champagne's football development proposals are set out in a seven-page "thematic letter" circulated to international media at the weekend.

Jérôme Champagne has admitted he does not think he could beat Sepp Blatter in a race for the FIFA Presidency next year ©AFP/Getty Images



Champagne, 55, is so far the only declared candidate for next year's election.

He is, however, seen as a long-odds outsider, not least because incumbent President Sepp Blatter, who this month celebrated his 78th birthday, is now regarded as almost certain to run for a fifth term, in spite of the well-documented controversies that continue to plague the organisation.

When he launched his campaign in London in January, Champagne, who was a key member of Blatter's FIFA team until he was ousted four years ago, at once cast doubt on his own candidacy by refusing to make clear whether he would stay in the race if the Swiss incumbent decided to run.

Indeed, the Frenchman admitted he did not think he could beat Blatter, who will mark 16 years in the post at this summer's FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Among other development proposals, Champagne advocates: playing the indoor World Cup every two years; creating a women's Club World Cup; studying the launch of women's beach football; and opening discussions with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), chaired by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, to "develop synergies" relating to beach football.

He also urges assessment of the creation of an internet-based FIFA channel to broadcast local leagues.

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