Dutch FA chief Michael van Praag to contest FIFA presidency election

Michael van Praag will go up against Sepp Blatter for FIFA’s presidency

Amsterdam, Jan 27 (IANS) Dutch Football Association (FA) president Michael van Praag has declared his intention to contest against incumbent Joseph "Sepp" Blatter for the FIFA presidency.

Van Praag, in a statement, has said he has the necessary nominations from five football associations for contesting the election.

"It is high time that the organisation comes back into the real world," he was quoted as saying by bbc.com on Tuesday.

Blatter, Van Praag, Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Frenchman Jerome Champagne and former footballer David Ginola have declared their candidacy for the elections.

Their candidacy nominations are set to be confirmed after Thursday's deadline. The aspirants have to pass an anti-corruption test before they can be confirmed as candidates.

Blatter, 78, had earlier accused European football governing body UEFA of lacking the "courage" to challenge his leadership. Blatter has been at the helm of FIFA since 1998 and is seeking a fifth five-year term in office.

"It is well known that I am very worried about FIFA. I had hoped that a credible opponent to Blatter would emerge, but that's simply not happened. In that case, you cannot just talk but you must also act decisively and take responsibility so, therefore, I am announcing my candidacy," he added.

The vote is set to take place in May.