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Michel Platini has four confederations' support for FIFA presidency - report

Michel Platini could announce as early as this week that he will stand for FIFA president after receiving backing from four out of the six confederations.

Platini, 60, has yet to make a final decision but Press Association reports that Asia has swung behind Europe, South America and CONCACAF in supporting him to succeed Sepp Blatter.

The UEFA president held talks in Zurich on Sunday night with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, and -- significantly -- with FIFA executive member Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah of Kuwait.

Both men are key to the Frenchman's chances of success: Al Sabah is viewed as the most important powerbroker in the International Olympic Committee and together with Salman should be able to swing 46 countries behind him, enough to secure a majority.

Platini has long-held links with Kuwait -- in 1988 at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait he came out of retirement to make a guest appearance for the Arabic country in an exhibition match against the USSR, playing 21 minutes.

Platini's decision will rest on his personal feelings. He has in the past questioned whether he wants to give up his involvement with UEFA, and its influence over European football, in exchange for FIFA.

Platini would be the clear favourite for FIFA however, and were he to win then Germany's Wolfgang Niersbach would be a likely successor for the UEFA presidency.

England's FIFA vice president David Gill gave Platini his personal endorsement, telling Press Association Sport: "Any FA decision on the FIFA presidency will ultimately be a matter for discussion by the whole FA board. My own personal view is that Michel has done a first-class job at UEFA.

"I have seen what he has done for FIFA from the outside when I was at Manchester United and then having been on the executive committee of UEFA.

"He has not officially put his name forward yet, but he is a football man, he has the experience and, like any good leader, he has a lot of good people around him because you cannot do it alone."

Gill also welcomed a package of reforms put forward as proposals for the February congress, including term limits plus public disclosure of salaries for FIFA officials.

He said, "There are a lot of good ideas and many of them echoes of what the FA has been proposing for some time. It's important that the recommendations are taken to the congress in February to ensure FIFA does really start on a new beginning."

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