Five FIFA candidates approved

FIFA on Thursday approved five candidates to stand in February's vote to replace Sepp Blatter as president of world soccer governing body, but Michel Platini has not yet made the list.

The five who met the qualification criteria following a series of integrity tests were: Prince Ali Al Hussein, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino and Tokyo Sexwale, a FIFA statement said.

The candidacy of Platini, the suspended head of European soccer who had been the favorite to succeed Blatter, will be examined once his 90-day suspension by FIFA's ethics committee is over.