UEFA general-secretary Gianni Infantino has received the unanimous backing of the UEFA executive committee and has become yet another candidate in the FIFA presidential race.
The Swiss becomes the seventh candidate running for the post of the FIFA president.
"UEFA's Executive Committee has today unanimously agreed to support Gianni Infantino, the current UEFA General Secretary, as a candidate for the forthcoming FIFA Presidential election," an UEFA statement said.
It added that the decision has been taken following the consultation within Europe and with national federations from across the global football community.
Football fans will be aware of Infantino, who has remained the master of ceremonies at several UEFA events -- including the Champions League and the Europa League draws.
According to the BBC, the 45-year-old, who became the general secretary of the European football governing body in 2009, has had preliminary talks with UEFA president Michel Platini over the same.
Platini, also a FIFA presidential candidate, is currently serving a 90-day provisional suspension, along with outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, handed by the Ethics Committee of FIFA earlier this month.
Here's the full statement from the UEFA executive committee:
"The forthcoming election for a new FIFA President represents a crucial moment‎ in the governance of the game and the future of FIFA itself. We believe that Gianni Infantino has all of the qualities required‎ to tackle the major challenges ahead and to lead the organisation on a path of reform to restore FIFA's integrity and credibility.
"Gianni has done a great job at UEFA, has a proven track record as a top class administrator‎ and built positive relations with football stakeholders around the globe. He has been a long-time advocate of the need for change and renewed development at FIFA and would bring a refreshing and informed voice to the top table of football's world governing body.
"We are delighted that Gianni has agreed to stand and he knows that he has our full support in his campaign to become FIFA President. He is in the process of submitting the required nominations and will issue a statement‎ on his candidacy later today."
It was earlier confirmed that AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has been announced as the sixth candidate to enter the FIFA presidential race. All applications have to be submitted by Monday night, when the candidates will undergo an "integrity check".
Meanwhile, David Nakhid is not a part of the list of confirmed candidates, despite the former Trinidad footballer showed his intention to stand for the same.
The election is scheduled to take place on 26 February next year.
The eight confirmed candidates for the FIFA presidential race are:
Michel Platini
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein
Gianni Infantino
Musa Bility
Jerome Champagne
Tokyo Sexwale
Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
