Soccer-Italian-Dutch agent Raiola pulls out of FIFA race

(Corrects deadline for nominations in para five) AMSTERDAM, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Italian-Dutch football agent Mino Raiola says he is dropping plans to run for the FIFA presidency in the wake of the decision by Netherlands FA (KNVB) president Michael van Praag to challenge incumbent Sepp Blatter. Last week Raiola said he would run for office in what looked more of a publicity stunt than a serious challenge. But now Van Praag has become one of a growing list of challengers to Blatter, Raiola told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad he ws pulling out of the race. "It is not about me but about getting a good candidate for the FIFA presidency. Now there is a good candidate," he said in reference to Van Praag." he said. The 47-year-old Raiola, whose clients include Mario Balotelli and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, would have needed to prove five FAs supported his bid and that he had been active in football for at least two of the last five years before the deadline for submitting bids expires at midnight in Zurich (2300 GMT) on Thursday. "I'm getting violently sick when I think that Blatter could be re-elected," Raiola said last week. On Wednesday, former Portugal international Luis Figo threw his hat in the ring alongside Blatter, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France, ex-France international David Ginola and Van Praag. Ginola announced his candidature earlier this month at a news conference in London which was dismissed as a publicity stunt since it was organised by a betting firm. The vote for the FIFA presidency takes place at the Congress of world soccer's governing body in Zurich on May 29. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ken Ferris)