FIFA

Five candidates are running to replace the suspended Sepp Blatter: the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain; FIFA Vice-President, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan; former FIFA executive, Jérôme Champagne of France; Tokyo Sexwale, of South Africa; and UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino of Switzerland.

Blatter is under criminal investigation in Switzerland over a two million Swiss francs ($2.79 million) payment made to vice president Michel Platini in 2011 for work carried out about a decade earlier.

Both Blatter and Platini are serving a 90-day ban from all football-related activities in connection with the investigation, with the football governing body to vote for a new head on February 26.

Oceania Football President David Chung says Patel has taken Fiji football to new heights during his first term and he now has the opportunity to build on that success.

During Patel's four-year term Fiji qualfied for the 2015 Under 20 World Cup in New Zealand, where they created history by beating Honduras.

The Fiji Under 23 team also won the Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament in July and will represent the region in Rio next year.

Patel claimed 37 votes, well clear of his only challenger, former Lautoka president Shalendra Prasad, who picked up 16.

The major sponsors each issued statements saying Blatter should quit after Swiss criminal proceedings were opened against him last week.

Coca-Cola took the first step, saying: "Every day that passes FIFA's image and reputation continues to tarnish."

McDonald's said Blatter going would be "in the best interest of the game".

The 79-year-old is accused by Swiss prosecutors of signing a contract that was "unfavourable to Fifa" and making a "disloyal payment" to UEFA president Michel Platini but denies any wrongdoing.

Since 27 May 2015, FIFA has been cooperating with the Office of the Swiss Attorney General (OAG) and has complied with all requests for documents, data and other information. We will continue this level of cooperation throughout the investigation.

Today, at the Home of FIFA, representatives from the Office of the Swiss Attorney General conducted interviews and gathered documents pursuant to its investigation. FIFA facilitated these interviews as part of our ongoing cooperation.

Switzerland's attorney general's office says it opened criminal proceedings against Blatter for possible criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of FIFA money.

The Swiss federal office says Blatter was interrogated after chairing a meeting of FIFA's executive committee on Friday.

The Swiss federal prosecutor's office also said Blatter's office was searched and data was seized.

Fiji will firstly host Tonga on 19 August at Govind Park in Ba, before playing American Samoa at Prince Charles Park in Nadi on 27 August.

The two visitors will compete when Oceania FIFA World Cup qualifying commences on 31 August in Tonga. One spot will be up for grabs in Stage 2 over the course of the five-day tournament, which also features Cook Islands and Samoa.

Fiji coach Carlos Buzzetti has named a strong 23-man squad for the matches including Wellington Phoenix striker Roy Krishna, powerful attacker Osea Vakatalesau and U-20 captain Jale Dreloa.

Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, told journalists attending the 128th IOC Session in Malaysia that Blatter had sent him a letter last month informing him that his mandate as FIFA President would come to an end on February 26, when FIFA would elect a new head.

For this reason, and because he was unable to attend the Session, Bach went on, Blatter did not think it appropriate that he be proposed for a new IOC mandate.

Bach told IOC members he had written to Blatter to "thank him for his outstanding service".

The UEFA President has written to all 209 member associations of FIFA to inform them of his intention to stand, having received indications of support from five continental confederations.

"There are times in life when you have to take your destiny into your own hands," said the Frenchman in the letter. 

"I am at one of those decisive moments, at a juncture in my life and in events that are shaping the future of FIFA.

"This was a very personal, carefully considered decision, one in which I weighed up the future of football alongside my own future.