Seven candidates to run for FIFA presidency

The FIFA election committee confirmed on Wednesday that it has received seven candidatures for the presidential election to be held on February 26 next year here. Former Trinidad and Tobago captain David Nakhid does not figure in the list.

The final candidates are Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Liberian Musa Bility, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, Italian Gianni Infantino, Frenchman Michel Platini, Bahraini Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale, reports Efe.

The only candidate who announced his nomination a few days ago and was not mentioned in the FIFA statement is Nakhid.

Concerning the candidacy of European football governing body chief Platini, the FIFA statement mentioned that the former French superstar is currently provisionally banned from taking part in any football-related activity and his candidature will not be processed by the ad-hoc electoral committee as long as such a ban is valid.

The election committee also explained that "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".

Platini was the first to confirm his intention to submit an application, before the FIFA ethics committee suspended him on October 8 for 90 days, with a possible extension for an additional period not exceeding 45 days.

The sanction is the result of an investigation by the disciplinary committee of current FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, after the Swiss prosecutor suspected him of disloyal management and breach of trust.

The charges include a payment of two million francs ($2.2 million) to Platini "to the detriment of FIFA".

The payment was made in 2011, although the money was supposedly intended for work done between 1999 and 2002.

The remaining applications will be reviewed by the ad-hoc election committee according to the electoral regulations, which in Article 8 determines that every dossier will be passed to the investigation chamber of the ethics committee.

After this the investigation chamber will report on each candidate, but not make recommendations on whether or not he should be accepted as a candidate.

The election committee will examine these reports to validate that they all meet admission requirements and proceed to issue the official statement of candidates who will contest the elections next February to replace Blatter as president.