Chung Mong-joon launches formal bid for FIFA presidency

Paris: Former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-Joon of South Korea formally launched his candidacy for its presidency, blasting his French rival Michel Platini as being too close to outgoing chief Sepp Blatter.

The only previously declared heavyweight was Michel Platini, current head of the European soccer's governing body UEFA, although Brazil's old superstar Zico and Liberian FA boss Musa Bility have also expressed interest, reports Xinhua.

"Michel Platini was a great football player, and he is my good friend. His problem is he does not seem to appreciate the seriousness of the corruption crisis at FIFA," said Chung said in a press conference here on Monday .

The 63-year-old South Korean billionaire, scion of the Hyundai industrial conglomerate, said Platini should have done more to root out corruption.

"Recently, Platini said Blatter is his enemy, but we know the relationship was like mentor and protege, or father and son," he added.

Blatter was re-elected for a fifth term on May 29, but announced to lay down his mandate just four days later amid the worst crisis in the world soccer's governing body's history and due to step down after an election on February 26.

"It's time to restore common sense at FIFA," Chung said. "The real reason it is so corrupt is that the same person has been in charge for 40 years. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

He has promised to be one-term revolutionary leader of FIFA while stating that FIFA needs a fresh approach after the scandal-twisted downward spiral under Sepp Blatter.

"If I'm elected I will serve only one term, four years," he said. "I can change FIFA in four years."

Chung is an honorary vice-president of FIFA but has been out of executive office since being ousted as Asia's FIFA vice-president by Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al Hussein in 2011.