GENEVA (AP):

Two would-be FIFA presidents stepped up campaigning yesterday after nominations closed, to challenge Sepp Blatter for the most powerful job in world football.

Luis Figo identified the five national federations that formally nominated him, and FIFA Vice-President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan pledged not to "dodge my responsibility" if elected to lead the scandal-hit governing body.

Portugal great Figo said in a statement he received the endorsement of Denmark, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Poland.

He was also backed by his own national federation before the entry deadline on Thursday. Figo joined Netherlands federation president Michael van Praag in having nominations only from Europe, where opposition to Blatter is focused.

Blatter, who has headed FIFA for 17 years, has not said which five of FIFA's 209 members nominated him for the May 29 election.

The 42-year-old Figo has little track record in football politics, and was a surprise entry this week.

Blatter is strongly favoured to win a fifth presidential term from members who show little desire for change, despite bribery and election scandals implicating several of his colleagues on the ruling executive committee.

On the 78-year-old Blatter's watch, the World Cup has been a huge commercial success. FIFA has built a $1.5-billion cash reserve and distributed around $200 million from 2014 World Cup profits in bonus payments to members and continental confederations.

UEFA is the only one of FIFA's six continental bodies actively campaigning against Blatter. Van Praag named the five European associations nominating him, at his campaign launch on Wednesday: Belgium, the Faroe Islands, Romania, Scotland and Sweden.