Diego Maradona set to stand for Fifa presidency

Argentina legend Diego Maradona wants to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa president, according to reports in South America.

The former Napoli and Barcelona playmaker has been highly critical of Blatter over the years and has now made the decision to stand for the position himself.

Uruguayan journalist and broadcaster Victor Hugo Morales tweeted that Maradona has plans to take on the biggest role in football.

Morales tweeted: "I called Diego Maradona to check on his father's [health]. He told me that he would be a candidate for president of Fifa and that I was authorised to communicate it.

"I am a candidate: those were the words that DIEGO MARADONA replied when I consulted him for the nomination for the presidency of Fifa."

In May, Maradona launched a scathing attack on Blatter saying: "Under Sepp Blatter, FIFA has become a disgrace and a painful embarrassment to those of us who care about football deeply.

"We have a dictator for life. I call Blatter 'the man of ice' because he lacks the inspiration and passion that are at the very heart of football. If this is the face of international football, we are in a very bad place."