The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President has always strenuously denied the accusations levelled against him, which had threatened to derail his bid to replace Sepp Blatter as the head of the world governing body.

“I'm not saying even a 100 per cent, I can tell you a million per cent,” he told Sky Sports.

“From a football official, we have never taken any decision with regard to any player in football or any other sport with matters that are not related to the sport itself.

“It is a purely politically motivated issue and it is never [about] football.

“I've been elected in 2013 and 2015 and I've been through the integrity check but every time there is an election this story comes up and after that it will disappear as it did in the past.”

Shaikh Salman also hinted he may look to strike a deal with UEFA general secretary and Presidential rival Gianni Infantino, which would see the Swiss become his secretary general if he is successful at the Extraordinary Elective Congress on February 26 in Zurich.

The AFC President enjoys a strong relationship with UEFA and even vowed to withdraw from the race to replace Sepp Blatter if banned chief Michel Platini was allowed to stand.

His comments come despite Infantino, who has been UEFA’s general secretary since 2009, dismissing suggestions that he may pursue a deal with one of the other candidates, declaring there was “no questions of any deal” and that he was a “FIFA candidate to the end”.

Shaikh Salman is widely considered the front-runner among a field which also includes Jordanian Football Association President Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Frenchman Jérôme Champagne and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.

The AFC head also indicated he may seek to find roles for Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on his board of advisers and claimed the doping scandals in athletics is worse than the corruption crisis currently engulfing FIFA.

“My relations with Europe are very close,” he said.

“If they want to sit and find a solution then why not?

“We cannot say no to anything.

“We will support whatever is good for the organisation - I have worked with Gianni for the past few years.

“So far there's no agreement and no deal but let's see what happens in the next few days."

Shaikh Salman also says he “doesn’t agree” with comments made by rival Prince Ali, who suggested an agreement between the Asian governing body and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is a "blatant attempt" to secure a bloc vote for the AFC President.

His comments follow Amnesty International, Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, Terre des Hommes and Transparency International Germany calling for all five candidates to pledge to prevent human rights abuses and corruption linked to the World Cup and other FIFA events should they be elected.

It comes as part of a six-step programme they feel should be implemented by the new FIFA President.

"A new President should mean a new start for FIFA and whoever wins needs to commit to wholesale reform, beginning with these six steps," Kerry Moscoguiri, campaigns director at Amnesty International UK, said. 

"Otherwise, the world’s most prestigious celebration of the most popular sport on the planet may well continue to be overshadowed by corruption and abuse.”