FIFA candidate Sheikh Salman calls torture accusations 'nasty lies'

One of the men vying for the top spot at FIFA denies accusations that he was complicit in acts of torture.

Human rights groups in Bahrain claim FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa assisted the country's government in identifying football players and other athletes who were involved in 2011 democracy protests.

The athletes were subjected to various acts of torture. Several deaths were also confirmed and countless arrests were made.

Sheikh Salman, who announced his intention to take over Sepp Blatter's role, repudiated the accusations following the insistence from human rights groups that FIFA ban him from the Feb. 26 presidential election.

"I cannot deny something that I haven't done," he told Richard Conway of the BBC.

"Such accusations are not just damaging, it's really hurting. Some people have agenda on their table."

"It's not just damaging me," he added, "it's damaging the people and the country.

"These are false, nasty lies that have been repeated again and again in the past and the present."

He does, however, believe that, if elected, changes at the world soccer governing body will come immediately.

"With the support I'm going to get we're going to turn it around very quick," he said.

"We have big examples of football organisations around the world - the Premier League, the Bundesliga, even UEFA who have from a football side and a revenue side, it is not even greater than FIFA, but it is handled in a very professional way. And this is what we want to bring to FIFA."

While he claimed that he will not accept a salary if he wins, Sheikh Salman said he backs the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 to go ahead as planned in Russia and Qatar.