David Nakhid, 51, (right), a Trinidad and Tobago native, was the first from his country to play in Europe playing from 1988 to 1995, in Switzerland, Belgium, and Greece. Photo: Provided

Nakhid is seeking to replace the 79-year-old Sepp Blatter of Switzerland who resigned amidst the recent FIFA corruption scandal. Photo: Provided

Nakhid, who played 35 times for Trinidad and Tobago, made the announcement in a radio interview in Antigua on Tuesday August 11, 2015 during a swing through the region seeking to drum-up support for his campaign ahead of the elections carded for February 26, 2016 at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

“I’ve played in all the confederations that you can think off. I speak five or six languages. I have the academic background that is needed for FIFA, more so than any of the others that have put themselves forward,” said Nakhid, who needs the support of at least five FIFA member associations to contest the elections.

“It’s about votes. It’s about securing nominations, the official nominations which requires five Federations. We sincerely hope that we can really put someone from the Caribbean forward”.

Nakhid, 51, a Trinidad and Tobago native, was the first from his country to play in Europe playing from 1988 to 1995, in Switzerland, Belgium, and Greece.

He scored 20 goals over the span of four seasons with FC Grasshopper (Switzerland) and 12 goals in two years with Waregem (Belgium), where he was twice named Most Valuable Player for the club.

His campaign team includes veteran Trinidad and Tobago journalist Josanne Leonard.

The Caribbean needs a FIFA leader

“We are looking at the Caribbean and we’re seeing a certain vacuum in leadership, especially with the turmoil that is taking place within FIFA, within CONCACAF and, by extension, CFU,” said Nakhid, who returned to the United States in the late 1990s where he played professionally for MLS outfit New England Revolution.

“We’ve been looking at that over the last few months and we feel now is the time for someone to step up from this part of the world, in a positive light, very much different to what it has been before, and take us forward.”

Nakhid is seeking to replace the 79-year-old Sepp Blatter of Switzerland who resigned amidst the recent FIFA corruption scandal, which saw various officials, including ex-TT football honcho Jack Warner, accused by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering.

“I need to really try and solidify the Caribbean membership. We’ve been underdeveloped, when you look at the infrastructure throughout the Caribbean, it’s still as it was 25-30 years ago,” he said.

“We have to try to change that mentality that has prevailed, whereby we cede to somebody from outside”.

The Caribbean man aspiring for football’s most powerful position will be coming up against midfield trio Michel Platini of France (the current UEFA president), Diego Maradona of Argentina and Zico of Brazil.

“When you look at the candidates mentioned, for a global position, there is no one mentioned from the Caribbean region because we don’t see ourselves in that light,” he said.

“We thought that we sat at the table, with the past leadership, and then realised we never sat at the table. Someone sat at the table and pursued his own agenda, not the agenda of the Caribbean as a whole”.

Nakhid was referring to Jack Warner’s lengthy stay as former FIFA Vice President and former CONCACAF president, which lasted for three decades.