FIFA presidency candidate Sheikh Salman has unveiled his plans to split world football's governing body in two should he be elected in February.
FIFA has been rocked by allegations of corruption this year, leading to president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini being banned from all football-related activity for eight years last week, although both men are appealing the decision.
Salman is one of five candidates looking to replace Blatter, and he believes that FIFA should be split in two with a football side and a business side in order to help restore the organisation's tarnished reputation.
"Only by strictly separating the generation of funds and supervising the flow of all monies spent can we guarantee the rebirth of a new FIFA that is accountable and is a good corporate citizen that deserves everybody's respect," Salman wrote in his manifesto.
"FIFA must be restructured top-down in order to remedy its present ills. Nothing short of a complete organisational overhaul and the introduction of stringent control mechanisms will allow us to re-launch FIFA in its entirety. FIFA today is a genuine Phoenix project: under my leadership, we shall employ all professional means to lift the organisation out of its ashes and guarantee a solid lasting and successful rebirth.
"FIFA is not those 40-odd individuals who have been indicted, arrested or already convicted on various charges. FIFA is above all a 400-strong group of employees from 40+ countries who have suffered from the mayhem caused by others only marginally linked to the organisation.
"The times where lonely decisions were made in an ivory tower are over. My job will be to reunite the employees of all levels, listen to them and learn from their collective and individual experiences. I shall lead by delegation and with a strong emphasis on participation. The days of solitary diktats are over."
Salman, who has also said that he does not want a salary should he be appointed, is currently the president of the Asian Football Confederation.
Barney Corkhill
