Michel Platini
says Fifa needs to "turn over a new leaf" after confirming he will be a
candidate to be the next president of football's governing body.
The 60-year-old Uefa president has received indications of support from four continental
confederations.Polling for the election takes place on 26 February, with Sepp Blatter standing down following a corruption crisis.
Potential candidate Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein has said in a statement: "Platini is not good for Fifa."
Former France international Platini said when announcing his candidacy: "I weighed up the future of football alongside my own future."
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.
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.
Why is Platini standing?
"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.
"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.
He said he was standing as a candidate "with enthusiasm and conviction, but also with the humility of someone who knows that he cannot succeed on his own".
"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.
"As the president of Uefa, I have brought Europe together on a unifying path. I gave all the national associations - big and small - the place they deserved. Now, I aspire to do the same at world level, to offer all national associations a common cause.
Who is Platini?
The former Nancy and Saint-Etienne midfielder, who became famous for his ability to score from free-kicks, also won league titles in France and Italy.
He also helped France to European Championship success in 1984 and third place at the 1986 World Cup.
He was elected Uefa president for a third term in March, when he stood unopposed.
Will he win?
BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway: "With four of the six global football confederations telling Michel Platini in recent weeks they would support his candidacy, he will be very difficult to defeat."Those four confederations count 144 national associations as members. Not all of them will vote for Platini - but a significant number will and that should be enough to get him over the line come 26 February.
"Securing Asia's support is the key - their two power brokers, Shaikh Salman and Sheikh Al-Sabah, have given Platini their blessing. And what they want they usually get.
"Others will inevitably enter the fray - but it's hard to see at this stage how they could win."
'Platini not good for football'
Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan stood against Blatter in the last Fifa election. His withdrawal, after forcing a second round of voting, handed victory to the Swiss.The 39-year-old, a member of Jordan's royal family, was backed by a majority of European nations, including England and is yet to decide whether he will stand this round.
"Football's fans and players deserve better," he said in a statement after Platini's announcement. "Fifa is engulfed in scandal. We must stop doing business as usual. The practice of back-room, under-the-table deals must end.
"I believe that the voices of the individual football federations must be heard. In the coming week, I will be consulting with them about what is in the best interests of football.
"What is clear is that Fifa needs new, independent leadership, untainted by the practices of the past."
Who else will stand?
They then have to gain the support of five football associations in order to validate their place on the ballot paper.
A former Fifa vice-president, South Korean Chung Mong-joon says he will "carefully consider" running for the presidency.
The 61-year-old is part of the family which founded and owns Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd, one of the largest corporations in the world.
Chung was a fierce critic of Blatter during his time with Fifa, and told a news conference in Seoul last month he would meet with European delegates before making his decision.
The past five Fifa presidential elections |
---|
2015: Blatter beat Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan |
2011: Blatter was unopposed because his rival Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Federation, pulled out after being suspended over bribery allegations |
2007: No other candidate was put forward to challenge Blatter |
2002: Blatter saw off the challenge of Issa Hayatou, president of the African confederation CAF |
1998: The Swiss succeeded Joao Havelange and won a bitter election against former Uefa president Lennart Johansson |
Liberia FA chairman Musa Bility has announced plans to stand for the presidency of Fifa, saying it is Africa's time to lead world football.
He will be only the second African to make a bid after current Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou lost to Blatter in 2002.
One of the more unlikely candidates is former Brazil international Zico, who says his candidacy "will be a reaction to everything that we have seen".
Other former footballers who have said they will stand include former France winger David Ginola , who failed to win a single nomination last time, and ex-Argentina midfielder Diego Maradona.
What does a Fifa president do?
The president of Fifa presides over its executive committee - where the organisation's real power lies. He or she supervises the committee's eight vice-presidents and 15 ordinary members, and casts a deciding vote when necessary.According to Fifa's statutes, the president also "legally represents" the organisation, "maintains relations between Fifa and the confederations, members, political bodies and international organisations", and "implements the decisions passed by the Congress and the Executive Committee".
The salary for a Fifa presidential salary is shrouded in secrecy and estimates vary wildly.
According to the organisation's 2014 financial report it paid a total salaries bill of $88.6m (£56.8m), of which $39.7m (£25.5m), excluding pension contributions, was paid to "key management personnel" - the executive committee, finance committee and general Fifa management.
That $39.7m is not broken down any further. Blatter said in 2011 that his salary was "$1m (£600,000), perhaps a bit more", before adding: "I'm not ashamed by that."
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