Sheikh Salman signs amended human rights pledge

FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has signed an amended version of a human rights pledge as he attempts to draw the sting from pressure groups opposing his campaign.

The pledge was put forward by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and three other groups asking presidential candidates to agree to "six clear steps that will put FIFA on the road to ensuring its events do not cause or contribute to human rights abuses and corruption".

Sheikh Salman, from Bahrain, has signed the pledge but with amendments - removing specific references to the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, and abuses against women and LGBT groups.

He said in a statement: "If we make a statement about equal rights and equal opportunities, it is obvious that we must practice an all-encompassing approach, which include all minorities and not solely those that were mentioned by Human Rights Watch in their original pledge.

"I am of the view that we must not be selective in any area that concerns human rights."