Geir Thorsteinsson has dropped out of contention for a place on the FIFA Council ©Iceland Football Association

UEFA will only have three candidates for positions on the FIFA's ruling Council after Iceland’s Geir Thorsteinsson reportedly pulled out of contention.

He had been set to be elected unopposed for the FIFA Council, along with Hungary’s Sandor Csyani, Cyprus’ Costakis Koutsokoumnis and Montenegro’s Dejan Savicevic.

This followed Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko being barred from standing due failing an eligibility check.

FIFA claimed his role with the Russian Government, which goes against the statutes of world football's governing body, was the reason for decision and is not connected to the allegations against him in the McLaren Report.

Mutko’s inability to stand had appeared to rubber stamped the remaining four candidates as the representatives of European football’s governing body on the Council.

However, Thorsteinsson is now out of contention.

Changes made by UEFA’s Executive Committee last month mean that that candidates for senior positions must hold an active office in their respective national association.

Thorsteinsson recently retired as the President of the Icelandic Football Association, following a fifth two year term.

Speaking in Iceland, Thorsteinsson claimed the change has led to him pulling out of the running for a spot on the Council.

Vitaly Mutko was barred from standing last week, due failing an eligibility check ©Getty Images
Vitaly Mutko was barred from standing last week, due failing an eligibility check ©Getty Images

“Although I have not been directly ruled out I do not now think I should be entitled to join the FIFA Council,” Thorsteinsson told mbl.is, according to the International Sport Press Association.

“UEFA’s executive committee has proposed an amendment to rules for elections so that in the future the only people eligible to stand should be the chairmen, vice-chairmen and chief executives of national associations.

“This is a proposal for congress from UEFA which, I understand, enjoys great support among the various European football associations.

“Therefore I decided it would be appropriate to step back now I am no longer a chairman myself.”

Belgium's Michel D'Hooghe, Turkey’s Senes Erzik and Cyprus’ Marios Lefkaritis are all standing down from the FIFA Council.

The election is due to take place at UEFA’s 41st Ordinary Congress in Finland’s capital Helsinki on April 5.

It now looks likely that an additional election may need to be called to decide the final UEFA delegate for the FIFA Council, ahead of the world governing body’s Congress in Bahrain, which will take place in May.