Friday 16 January 2015 10:29, UK
David Ginola is set to unveil plans to challenge Sepp Blatter to be president of FIFA.
The former Tottenham and Newcastle winger, 47, will outline his plans when he launches his campaign in London on Friday.
Ginola, who played for France 1990-95, has until January 29 to prove to the world governing body he has played an "active role" in football for two of the last five years, while showing he has the support of five national associations.
We are told his plan is to give football back to the fans and wants to give everyone a voice in football
Three other people have declared interest in the job with FIFA Vice President Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne and former Chile football leader Harold Mayne-Nicholls all looking to replace Blatter.
Blatter has held his position as FIFA President since 1998 and will be running for a fifth term at the 65th FIFA congress in Zurich on May 29.
The governing body has been mired in controversy in recent months over the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Bryan Swanson told SSNHQ: "It’s a big surprise. People in the game have wondered who would challenge Blatter if he continued as head of the world governing body.
"David Ginola is someone who served a full year as an ambassador for England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid. He has also advised a small team in the third division in France since summer 2010.
"We are told his plan is to give football back to the fans and wants to give everyone a voice in football. He’s quietly confident but this will be a tough task – not least in Africa and Asia where Blatter has a strong grip on world football support.
"I’m told he’s quietly confident of ensuring the support at least five associations. But there are plenty of questions still to answer with this surprising development."
Prince Ali, also the head of the Jordan Football Association, announced at the start of January he would go for the presidency which led Blatter to say: "I can only rejoice in this nomination. We are a democracy, and this can only be beneficial for debate."
