Platini to stand for FIFA presidency

UEFA announcement comes after weeks of speculation.

PARIS: UEFA boss Michel Platini is to stand as a candidate for the presidency of world football’s governing body FIFA, announced UEFA on Wednesday.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation over whether the 60-year-old Frenchman would stand in the election to find a successor to the beleaguered Sepp Blatter.

Blatter decided to stand down shortly after being re-elected as president in June with scandal-hit FIFA’s reputation in tatters. He announced last week that the election for his successor would be held on February 26, 2016.

Platini officially announced his candidature in a letter to the presidents and general secretaries of the 209 FIFA member countries, and made public by UEFA.

“This was a very personal, carefully considered decision, one in which I weighed up the future of football alongside my own future,” he said. “I was also guided by the esteem, support and encouragement that many of you have shown me.”

He promised to work tirelessly “in the interests of football”.

“There are times in life when you have to take your destiny into your own hands,” he said. “I am at one of those decisive moments, at a juncture in my life and in events that are shaping the future of FIFA.”

Platini has positioned himself as one of the most outspoken opponents to Blatter’s regime, and publicly called for him to stand down after seven FIFA Executive Committee members were arrested on corruption allegations in raids in Switzerland prior to May’s election.

Blatter ignored those calls and was duly elected for a fifth term as president, only to announce his intention to stand down on June 2 as world football’s governing body became mired in scandal.

Platini has since emerged as one of the most likely names to run in the election and has the verbal support of four of the six confederations that make up FIFA, with the strongly pro-Blatter Confederation of African Football and that of Oceania the only exceptions. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th,  2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.