Seven candidates in running for FIFA presidency

Paris: Football's world-governing body FIFA on Wednesday announced that it had confirmed seven candidates had come forward to run in its election for a new president on February 26.

The candidates proposed are Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Musa Bility, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino, Michel Platini, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale.

Former Trinidad and Tobago footballer David Nakhid submitted his candidacy last week, but it was rejected on the grounds that one of the five national football associations he gave as endorsing him had already backed another candidate, a FIFA source told AFP.

Candidates need the backing of at least five of FIFA's 209 association members before they can be considered.

FIFA said in a press release that, with the exception of UEFA chief Michel Platini, the candidature dossiers would be processed by its electoral committee.

Platini is currently suspended from all football-related activities for 90 days as part of a clampdown on corruption and fraud at the heart of the FIFA operation.

"Should such a ban be lifted or expire before the FIFA presidential election, the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee would decide, depending on the respective exact point in time, on how to proceed with the candidature concerned," the statement read.

FIFA said that the six other candidate dossiers had now been handed over by the Electoral Committee to the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee to carry out integrity checks.

The chamber will "deliver comprehensive documentation on each candidate, but it will not give any recommendation as to whether or not a candidate may run for the FIFA presidency."