Former France winger David Ginola will announce on Friday that he is entering the race to become president of FIFA.

It took a 250,000-pound payment from a stunt-prone bookmaker to persuade former France international David Ginola to launch an improbable bid to unseat FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Ginola, 47, plans to challenge incumbent Sepp Blatter for the top job in world football, with the 78-year-old Swiss — who has been in office since 1998 — having indicated he will seek a fifth term.

“It is time that football was refreshed,” the the Sun newspaper’s website quoted him as saying. “We have to be brave and deal with what is going on in this game we love.”

“I’m not interested in dwelling on the sins of the past, this is about taking football forward and putting supporters at the centre of the game.”

“Football belongs to the people and they deserve to have a voice. We want transparency so that everyone knows where every penny goes.”

“People need to be able to trust the decisions being made by those in charge.”