English FA vice-chairman David Gill has declared he will stand for Britain’s FIFA vice-presidency next year following a change of heart.

Gill, a Manchester United director and UEFA executive committee member, had been insistent he would not stand for the post, where he is likely to face rival bids from Scottish FA president Campbell Ogilvie and Welsh FA president Trefor Lloyd Hughes.

His previous stance led the FA to consider current and former players including Rio Ferdinand and Graeme Le Saux as candidates until Gill – regarded as the obvious candidate – changed his mind and agreed to stand.

It is understood that UEFA president Michel Platini had suggested to Gill that he should run for the post.

Gill said: “This is a decision I have been thinking about for some time. Although I had initially wanted to focus on developing my relatively new role within UEFA, I believe there is an opportunity, if elected, to use the FIFA position to make a real difference while complementing that ongoing work.”

An election will take place at the UEFA congress in Vienna in March, with all UEFA members voting from a list of candidates put forward by the four British associations.

Northern Ireland’s Jim Boyce, the current incumbent, is retiring in May.

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