UEFA President Michel Platini has said he “weighed up the future of football” after confirming he will be a candidate to be the next president of FIFA.
The 60-year-old ex-France midfielder has received indications of support from four continental confederations.
Polling for the election takes place on February 26, with Sepp Blatter standing down as a result of a corruption crisis at world football’s governing body.
“This was a very personal, carefully considered decision,” Platini said.
Swiss Blatter, 79, has been in charge of FIFA since 1998.
The election will be held in Zurich at an emergency congress attended by the FIFA member associations.
Candidates have until October 26 to be nominated.
Under Platini’s presidency, UEFA has seen a number of major developments.
Next year’s European Championship will feature more teams than ever, up from 16 to 24. Then in 2020, the tournament will be staged in 13 cities across as many countries.
In club football, the Champions League has grown in popularity, with British broadcaster BT Sport agreeing to pay £900m for exclusive live rights to European football’s top club competition from 2015-16.
However, Platini has faced criticism, largely over his support for Qatar’s staging of the FIFA World Cup in 2022, reports the BBC.
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