Michel Platini Officially Announces His Candidacy for FIFA President
July 29, 2015
UEFA President, Michel Platini, has officially announced he will stand as a candidate for the FIFA presidency.
The Frenchman sent a letter to the presidents and general secretaries of the 209 member associations of world football’s governing body, in which he said:
“This was a very personal, carefully considered decision, one in which I weighed up the future of football alongside my own future.
“I was also guided by the esteem, support and encouragement that many of you have shown me.
Platini has been the President of UEFA since 2007 and a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 2002. He is considered the favourite to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter.
The 60-year-old added: “During this last half-century or so, FIFA has only had two presidents. This extreme stability is something of a paradox in a world that has experienced radical upheavals and in a sport that has undergone considerable economic change. However, recent events force the supreme governing body of world football to turn over a new leaf and rethink its governance.”
“I am counting on your support and our common love of football so that, together, we can give the tens of millions of football fans the FIFA that they want: a FIFA that is exemplary, united and shows solidarity, a FIFA that is respected, liked and of the people.”
Candidatures must be submitted by 26 October 2015, and the election will take place at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Zurich on 26 February 2016.
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