The favorite for FIFA president is worse than Sepp Blatter

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

By Kim McCauley@lgbtqfc Feb 25, 2016, 11:33am EST

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Prince Ali of Jordan and Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa made their final appeals to voters for FIFA president on Thursday, but most voters from both men's confederations are expected to vote for Sheikh Salman of Bahrain.

He's the favorite heading into the election, which looks like bad news. Though, some think his election would accelerate FIFA's implosion, which would be a good thing.

Salman is accused of being part of a cash-for-votes scandal in a previous election he ran in and won. He's also been criticized on his human rights record repeatedly due to the imprisonment and torture of both peaceful protesters and athletes in his native Bahrain, where he's a member of the ruling family. Salman has denied all involvement with these issues and has not been charged with any crimes. He also hasn't condemned his family members.

Whether Salman or someone else wins, FIFA has already whipped up some PR statements for them. Expect to hear a lot of nonsense about how FIFA is an ethical organization with a few bad apples that have already been tossed out.