Michel Platini will not stand in Fifa presidential election

Suspended Uefa president Michel Platini says he will not stand in the Fifa presidential election next month, according to the BBC.

Platini, along with Fifa boss Sepp Blatter, has been banned from football-related activities for eight years by world football's governing body.

Both men were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.

They are appealing against their bans, but Platini says the timing of the 26 February election means he cannot run.

"I'm withdrawing from the race for the Fifa presidency," the 60-year-old Frenchman told the Associated Press.

"The timing is not good for me. I don't have the means to fight on equal terms with the other candidates.

"I have not been given the chance to play the game. Bye bye, Fifa. Bye bye, Fifa presidency."

/By AzerTac/