UEFA president Michel Platini claims he is the only person who can beat Sepp Blatter in an election battle for the FIFA presidency.
The 58-year-old admits he has yet to decide whether to stand or not when elections for the top post are held next year.
“There is only one person who can beat Blatter,’’ he said at a briefing, following the completion of the UEFA Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Asked who that was, he said: “Me.”
Blatter, who has been FIFA president since 1998, has hinted strongly that he will stand for re-election in 2015.
So far, only Jerome Champagne, a former Blatter aide at FIFA, has announced he will stand. Even he, though, concedes that he is unlikely to stand a chance against Blatter.
Platini, a former ally of Blatter, has been president of UEFA since 2007.
Asked if he had enough support outside of Europe, he replied: “Yes I have many people who support me around the world.
“But I have not decided yet to run. I am happy being UEFA president, and I still have to decide about FIFA.
“I will consult many people. But it will be my personal decision in the end.’’
In the wake of his convoluted plans for a newfangled League of Nations competition, Platini may find that his biggest problem is not so much attracting support from outside Europe, but from hemorrhaging support from within it.
