The deadline for FIFA presidential election candidates to declare they are standing has passed with eight contenders vying to replace Sepp Blatter.
UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino will run for the highest position in world football with the unanimous backing of UEFA’s Executive Committee.
Former Brazilian international Zico will not be in the race, though after he was unable to get the letters of support he needed from five member associations. It is understood he only had four.
The 11pm deadline on Monday evening passed without him getting the elusive fifth letter which would have ensured he would be part of the vote on February 26.
A statement from European football’s governing body confirmed Infantino’s candidacy – but that does not mean the end of Michel Platini’s continued participation in the contest to succeed Sepp Blatter.
Platini is currently banned from football, and an investigation into an allegedly “disloyal payment” he received from FIFA remains ongoing, but sources close to the Frenchman say he will “absolutely not withdraw” from the race and has vowed to clear his name.
It now seems likely that if Platini is cleared, he will be UEFA’s candidate and Infantino will drop out of the race. If, however, Platini is not cleared, the expectation is Infantino would stay in.
Infantino said: “I will, in due course, be setting out my detailed thinking in a manifesto which will address the challenges and opportunities ahead.
“It will be based on the need for reform and also for a FIFA that genuinely serves the interests of all 209 national associations, big or small, and that puts football and football development at the top of its agenda.”
A UEFA ExCo statement on Infantino read: “The forthcoming election for a new FIFA president represents a crucial moment in the governance of the game and the future of FIFA itself.
“We believe that Gianni Infantino has all of the qualities required to tackle the major challenges ahead and to lead the organisation on a path of reform to restore FIFA’s integrity and credibility.
“We are delighted that Gianni has agreed to stand and he knows that he has our full support in his campaign to become FIFA president. He is in the process of submitting the required nominations and will issue a statement on his candidacy later today.”
Liberian FA boss Musa Bility and the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, also announced their candidacies on Monday.
They joined Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Tokyo Sexwale, Jerome Champagne and David Nakhid in the race after they – unlike Zico – were able to obtain five letters of support from FIFA member nations.
