Presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon says FIFA should still run football

Seoul: South Korean FIFA presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon insists soccer`s embattled governing body should still be allowed to run the sport, but only if it has new leadership.

Pushing his case that he was the right man to lead change, Chung said he supported the ongoing investigations taking place into alleged corruption in FIFA, but that the running of the sport should not be given to "outsiders".

"The most urgent task at hand is to root out corruption from within FIFA," he said in a statement.

"Justice must be served. Resuscitating FIFA, however, should be left to those who love football. The future of football should not be left in the hands of outsiders."

Chung, the 63-year-old billionaire scion of South Korea`s Hyundai industrial conglomerate, formally announced last month that he was running for the FIFA presidency.

The incumbent, Sepp Blatter, is to stand down in February.