FIFA presidential candidate Michel Platini has won the key backing of the head of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

Sheikh Salman said in a statement yesterday that the world governing body would “need a leadership with experience, wisdom and ability to bring back stability to FIFA.

“Mr Platini boasts such characteristics and has an ambitious vision to renew belief in the organisation,” he said.

The news will be particularly welcome for the early front-runner Platini given his closest challenger to emerge so far is an Asian candidate – South Korean former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon.

FIFA will hold an elective congress on February 26 to decide on the replacement for outgoing president Sepp Blatter, who is standing down following the organisation’s corruption scandals.