MONACO (AP) β Michel Platini will not challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.
Iceland football association president Geir Thorsteinsson says Platini told officials at a closed-door UEFA meeting Thursday that he will not be a candidate in FIFA’s election in May.
Thorsteinsson says “we went for peace. I think it is the logical decision.”
Platini was expected to avoid a contest against Blatter after a successful World Cup strengthened the FIFA president’s position.
The UEFA president has long been favored to succeed Blatter, his mentor in football politics.
Blatter, who is 79 and has led FIFA since 1998, pledged to fight for a fifth term after previously promising UEFA he would step aside in 2015.
