FIFA: Michel Platini is officially a candidate for president (elections on 26/02/2016)

Michel Platini, president of UEFA since 2007, is running for the presidency of FIFA, he officially announced on 29/07/2015.

"This was a very personal, carefully considered decision, one in which I weighed up the future of football alongside my own future. I was also guided by the esteem, support and encouragement that many of you have shown me," stated Michel Platini in a press release published on the UEFA website at 13:00 CET.

The FIFA presidential elections will be held during an extraordinary Congress held in Zurich (SUI) on 26/02/2016. This date was set by the FIFA Executive Committee on 20/07/2015. The deadline for candidates to submit their applications is 26/10/2015.

Joseph Blatter, re-elected for a fifth term (2015-2019 period) as the president of FIFA on 29/05/2015, announced on 02/06/2015 that he would "lay down my mandate" via an extraordinary Congress responsible for electing his successor. Prior to this announcement by Joseph Blatter, seven leaders in football -- including two FIFA vice-presidents, Eugenio Figueredo (URU) and Jeffrey Webb (Cayman Islands / United…