Soccer-South African Tokyo Sexwale considering standing for FIFA presidency - spokesman

(Adds biographical details, background on FIFA scandal) By Simon Evans Aug 1 (Reuters) - South African businessman and former political prisoner Tokyo Sexwale is considering running for president of world football's scandal-hit governing body FIFA, a spokesman told Reuters on Saturday. "Mr. Sexwale has been approached to put his name forward as a candidate for the FIFA presidency by several highly placed personalities within the football fraternity including people from the private sector," said Peter-Paul Ngwenya of Sexwale's Global Watch foundation. "He is in the process of consulting following which he will then make up his mind," he added. A close friend of the late former South African president Nelson Mandela, who he spent 13 years with in the Robben Island prison, Sexwale was a member of the African National Congress and was a post-Apartheid government minister before moving into business. UEFA president Michel Platini emerged as the early frontrunner in the race to replace Sepp Blatter as head of FIFA. Soccer's governing body was thrown into turmoil in May when 14 sports marketing executives and soccer officials, including several from FIFA, were indicted in the United States on bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges. (Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Jon Boyle)