Former French star David Ginola to run for FIFA presidency

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has some more competition.

Former French international David Ginola is interested in running for the FIFA presidency, in a bid backed by bookmaker Paddy Power, The Associated Press reports.

M&C Saatchi PR, a public relations company, told the AP that Ginola will launch his campaign in London on Friday.

There are, however, some obstacles that the former Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and Tottenham attacker will need to overcome in order to be in consideration for the position. Per FIFA regulations with regards to the governing body's presidency, he has until Jan. 29 to prove that he has played an "active role" in football for two of the last five years, while also obtaining the support of five national associations for his bid.

There is, of course, the obvious elephant in the room: the involvement of Paddy Power, an Irish bookmaking company.

For example:

Whether this actually materializes remains to be seen, but regardless, Blatter will have competition with or without Ginola's involvement. FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne and former Chile football leader Harold Mayne-Nicholls have all already declared their intention to challenge the incumbent in the upcoming election, which takes place in May.