Platini refuses to rule out FIFA presidential run

(CNN) -- UEFA president Michel Platini has refused to rule out the possibility of standing against Sepp Blatter in FIFA's controversial presidential race, if Wednesday's election is postponed.

Blatter's only rival, the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation Mohamed bin Hammam, pulled out on Sunday.

The move came hours before a FIFA ethics committee suspended both him and fellow Executive Committee member Jack Warner on bribery charges.

Both deny the allegations. The same committee exonerated Blatter after Bin Hammam made counter claims against the Swiss incumbent.

But as calls grow for Wednesday's vote to be postponed under the weight of accusations and counter accusations Platini, a popular former French international legend, has left the door open if FIFA decides to delay the election.

"We have to wait to see if they [FIFA's 208 member associations] don't want to vote," he told CNN.

"If they don't vote there will not be elections. For the moment I am elected for UEFA...I don't know what will happen, what will happen at congress, what will happen at the election."

Platini admitted that the scandal, one of a series to hit football's governing body since last year's controversial decision to award Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, has damaged the game and called for "football" rather than "political" figures to run the game.

"I think that FIFA is like the IOC [International Olympic Committee] was some years ago, I think we are at the end of a system based on politics," Platini said, referring to a series of corruption scandals that rocked the IOC ahead of the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, which led to an overhaul of the IOC.

"The future of this big international sports company [is to be] owned by people who are specialists, not political people like [former IOC president] Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, [former FIFA president] Mr. [Joao] Havelange, Mr. Blatter who comes from politics...I think it will finish in the next few years and we will have people from the sport. I think FIFA has to come back to football."

His comments come as FIFA continues to descend into civil war. Monday saw Jack Warner, the suspended president of the CONCACAF region, release details of an email that suggested current FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke had dismissed Bin Hammam's presidential challenge whilst suggesting that Qatar had "bought" the right to host the 2022 World Cup finals.

Valcke has since confirmed the email is genuine, but has accused Warner of only releasing selective passages from it. Blatter will respond to the developments in a press conference at FIFA's head quarters in Zurich at 5pm GMT.

Whilst damaging allegations surface on an almost hourly basis, others within football see the controversy as a positive opportunity for change within FIFA.

"I agree with the president of UEFA, Michel Platini...this is a great opportunity," said former English Football Association executive director David Davies in an interview with CNN.

"People are saying how awful everything that has happened is. And it has been awful. It is a mess and the reputation of FIFA has been damaged.

"But with that damage comes an opportunity. I hope Europe, Platini, and I hope the English and British associations, will play a part in seizing the opportunity to say we have to have a fresh start."