Jerome Champagne said Monday he has withdrawn his candidature for the FIFA psidency after not getting the mandatory support from five member federations of the governing football body.
The former FIFA executive Champagne told dpa that only managed to win three federations.
With fellow Frenchman David Ginola out for the same reason, Dutch football supmo Michael van Praag, former World Player of Year Luis Figo of Portugal, and Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein are the remaining candidates aiming to challenge Joseph Blatter at the May 29 elections.
The final list of psidential candidates is to be submitted by FIFA at a later date. Candidates must have support from five member federations and are also checked by the FIFA ethics committee.
Blatter, 78, is seeking a fifth term and is liked in Asia, Africa and South America having helped award World Cups to Japan/Korea, South Africa and Brazil but is viewed with suspicion in Europe after the controversial bidding for the 2018 and 2022 events.
