1 | South Korea's Chung Mong-Joon gestures during a press conference in Paris, France, Monday Aug.17, 2015. |
2 | Chung Mong-Joon announced his candidacy for the upcoming FIFA presidential elections. |
3 | Announcing his bid to run for FIFA president, Chung Mong-Joon pledged to help the governing body clean itself up if he gets elected. |
4 | Speaking at a news conference in Paris on Monday, the South Korea said "it is my privilege and honor to announce my candidacy," before quickly turning his sights on long-serving president Sepp Blatter. |
5 | After 17 years as FIFA president, Blatter said on June 2 he was standing down, under pressure from American and Swiss federal investigations of widespread corruption implicating senior FIFA officials. |
6 | "The real reason FIFA has become such a corrupt organization is because the same person and his cronies have been running it for 40 years. Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Chung said. |
7 | On May 27, a United States federal investigation of corruption in world soccer was unleashed on FIFA. |
8 | Though Blatter won re-election two days later, it took only four more days before he decided to step down. |
9 | Chung, a FIFA honorary vice president, promised change if he wins the election on Feb. 26. |
10 | "Under these circumstances, the FIFA president must be a crisis manager and a reformer. He must be more than just a head of the technical department," the 63-year-old South Korean Chung said at a Paris hotel. |
11 | "After decades of an ever-widening circle of corruption, FIFA needs a leader who can bring back common sense, transparency and accountability." |
12 | UEFA President Michel Platini has already declared his candidacy and is widely favored to replace Blatter. |
13 | The former France midfielder, a FIFA insider after 13 years as an executive committee member, has taken advantage of his access to soccer powerbrokers. |
14 | At the Champions League final in Berlin and FIFA meetings in Zurich and St. Petersburg, Russia, he outlined his plans and gained early support. |
15 | "Michel was a great football player. I played golf twice with Michel, his swing is not that great, it's lucky he chose football instead of golf," Chung said, who criticized Platini for having a "father and son" and "mentor-student" relationship with Blatter over the years. |
16 | Platini was formerly a supporter of Blatter. |
17 | Would-be candidates must apply by Oct. 26. |
18 | FIFA members from the 209 national federations elect the president. |
19 | Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who lost the last FIFA election vote 133-73 to Blatter on May 29, is also touted to stand again. |
20 | Former Brazil great Zico, who scored 48 goals in 71 games for his country, and Liberian soccer federation president Musa Bility are also among those reportedly planning to run. |
21 | Chung was a member of FIFA's executive committee from the mid-1990s until 2011. |
22 | During that time, he was an opponent of Blatter. |
23 | In a clear swipe at Platini, who is now an outspoken opponent of Blatter, Chung said "it has suddenly become very fashionable to be Blatter's enemy, this is too convenient." |
24 | A former equestrian rider and cross-country skier and president of the Korean Football Association, Chung failed in his bid to become mayor of Seoul last year. |
25 | Chung launched his campaign despite having little obvious support in Asia, where South Korea's influence has weakened. |
26 | Asian Football Confederation leaders have welcomed Platini's bid and FIFA executive committee member Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, an influential Olympic powerbroker, is seen to have presidential ambitions. |
27 | Chung's cousin, Korean FA president Chung Mong-gyu, was defeated in April standing for one of Asia's four FIFA executive seats. |