After waiting in the wings for quite some time, it seems that UEFA boss Michel Platini will stand for the biggest job of them all. The Frenchman is expected to announce later this week.
According to two officials familiar with Platini’s plans, Michel Platini will run for FIFA president after the UEFA president received encouragement to run from most leaders of FIFA’s continental confederations. Platini’s spokesman refused to comment.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Platini has not yet announced his candidacy. The FIFA election is on February 26 and would-be candidates must apply by October 26.
Platini is set to be the first serious contender to announce, two months after Blatter was re-elected for a fifth four-year term. Two former FIFA vice presidents from Asia are also possible contenders. Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who lost a vote to Blatter on May 29, and South Korean politician Chung Mong-joon have made public statements about the election in recent days.
Niersbach to UEFA?
Last year, Platini chose not to oppose Blatter in the recent election. “Now is not my time, not yet,” Platini said last August in Monaco when announcing he would focus on getting a third term at UEFA, which he won unopposed in March.
Whether or not the current head of the German Football Association, Wolfgang Niersbach will replace Platini as UEFA boss remains to be seen. “My focus is German football. That is the priority. I was voted head of German football and I feel very happy in this job,” said Niersbach recently. “Even if Platini were to stand, we don’t know if he would get elected. It is an honor to be mentioned, but currently I am not a candidate. Whether or not that changes, will become clear.”
jh/rd (AP, AFP, SID,)
