South Korea's Chung running for FIFA president
Baku, July 30, AZERTAC
Former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon, one of the most influential figures in Asian football, said on Thursday he is entering the race to replace Sepp Blatter as president of the sport's world governing body, according to Reuters.
Chung, the 63-year-old billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai industrial conglomerate, said he would make a formal announcement next month in Europe, which he called "the centre of world football".
"I am going to stand as a candidate for the FIFA presidency," he said, acknowledging he had a tough fight ahead of him. "It's not easy, but people don't want to be part of corruption. They want to be part of the solution."
"We cannot leave FIFA in this kind of disgrace."
Chung said he did not yet have the required backing of five FIFA federations that would allow him to stand, but he was confident of getting the support he needed.
"I hope to have more than five nominations," he said, adding he had received assurances of support from within CONCACAF on a recent trip to the United States. CONCACAF is the ruling body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
While UEFA chief Michel Platini, 60, appears to be the strong favourite to succeed Blatter, with four of the six FIFA confederations reportedly backing him, Chung said the Frenchman was not the right person for the job.
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