Paddy Power supported David Ginola to stand against Blatter in FIFA election

David Ginola wants to challenge Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency in a campaign backed by a bookmaker. A spokesperson confirmed the former Newcastle, Tottenham and France midfielder was ready to oppose Blatter’s attempt to win a fifth term at the age of 79 and that he “will be looking for the full support of Uefa and five football associations”.

M&C Saatchi PR, acting on behalf of the Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, told the Associated Press that Ginola will launch his campaign in London on Friday, but it is not yet certain he will be able to stand for election.

Ginola, who also played for Aston Villa and Everton before retiring in 2002 and has since moved into winemaking, has until 29 January to prove to Fifa 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. The election will be held in Zurich on 29 May.

Three other people have declared an interest in the job: The Fifa vice president Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan, the former Fifa official Jérôme Champagne and the former Chilean football federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls.