Presidency: FIFA shortlists 7 candidates for February election

World’s football governing body, FIFA has announced the names of the seven candidates to replace Sepp Blatter as its president – with that of Trinidad and Tobago candidate, David Nakhid not among them.

Nakhid, a former international, had stated his intention to stand but was absent from the list released by the governing body – suggesting he may not have received the five nominations required to stand.

His absence means the list now contains just one former player in Michel Platini, who is currently banned from football.

The seven men who will now go forward to the February 26 election are Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, the Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino, Liberia’s FA president Musa Bility, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman, the former diplomat Jérôme Champagne, the South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale, the Uefa president Platini.

Platini’s participation in the election, however, depends on the status of the ban he is serving. Platini, the one-time favourite for the job, was suspended from football for 90 days pending a disciplinary hearing into a £1.3m payment signed off by outgoing president Sepp Blatter in 2011.

If his ban is lifted, FIFA said in a statement that Platini’s candidacy would be put in the hands of its Ad-hoc Electoral Committee which would “decide, depending on the respective exact point in time, on how to proceed with the candidature concerned”.