Elvis Raja Chetty, the President of the Seychelles Football Federation, has made it clear that he is still in the race for the vacant African seat (Anglophone Group) on the FIFA Council, although Leodegar Tenga remains a popular choice for the post.
The election will take place on September 30 during the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of Africa Football in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as CAF seeks a replacement for disgraced Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Africa's sixth position on the FIFA Council fell vacant a few months ago after former Ghana FA boss and CAF Vice-President Nyantakyi resigned in the wake of damning corruption allegations against him.
Earlier this month, COSAFA confirmed their backing for South African FA President Danny Jordaan over Chetty and Malawi's Walter Nyamilandu.
However, the Seychellois boss is confident that he's still firmly in the running for the post.
"Having the election organized by COSAFA was a real breach of the statues of FIFA, CAF and COSAFA," he told KweséESPN. "You cannot talk about democracy and then break the democracy.
"No one should believe in the set-up that was organized by COSAFA recently claiming that we decided to have one candidate for the region.
"I am still in FIFA Council race and no one will stop me."
Nyamilandu has also refused to bow to the apparent pressure from COSAFA.
"It is only when one fails the integrity test or decides to pull out that they cannot contest," Chetty added. "However, the leadership of COSAFA deciding to do the wrong thing and deciding for us against our will and the statues cannot work."
Already FIFA has cleared five candidates - Chetty, Jordaan, Nyamilandu, Tenga and Kenya's Nick Mwendwa - after undergoing integrity checks.
Moses Magogo Hassim of Uganda and Swaziland's Adam Mthethwa both withdrew their applications before being subjected to the integrity tests, according to a statement sent by FIFA and released by CAF earlier this month.
"It is not yet my time," Magogo conceded to KweséESPN.
Despite significant support within CECAFA for Tanzania's Tenga, Kenyan chief Mwendwa will not pull out for his regional counterpart.
"I am not about to stand down because I think I have the potential and what it takes to represent Africa well at the FIFA Council," he told KweséESPN.
"I have an equal chance like all the other candidates to be elected, and I will not step down from the race like some people are suggesting,"
Nonetheless, Tenga appears to be the preferred candidate from the region.
The former Tanzania FA President is not a new face in African football having played for Tanzania at their only appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.
"It is always good that we have a strong force that represents the continent at the Council and I am ready to give my best," Tenga told KweséESPN.
The East African lost to Nyantakyi by 13 votes (33/20) in the last election for the Anglophone seat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last year, but could well have more backing this time around.
"He is our own and I think he is the kind of person who can be trusted to front for African interests well and development of football in the World," Tanzania Football Federation President Wallace Karia told KweséESPN.
"Tenga is a very confident and experienced football administrator who will be a big asset to Africa if given the chance to be part of the Fifa Council," echoed Ethiopian Football Federation chief Esayas Jira.
"I think he will represent Africa's interests well."
Rtd. Brig. Gen. Sekamana Jean Damascène, President of the Rwandan FA, and Francis Amin Michael, President of the South Sudan Football Association, were also in support of Tenga's candidature.
"I have had time to speak to him and I think he is a very good candidate for the FIFA Council position," Michael told KweséESPN.
The five members from Africa currently on the FIFA Council are Tarek Bouchamaoui (Tunisia), Almamy Kabele Camara (Guinea), Lydia Nsekera (Burundi), Constant Omari (DR Congo) and Hany Abo Rida (Egypt).
Source: kwese.espn.com