With three months to go before the FIFA presidency election, incumbent
Sepp Blatter sees not a threat in sight to a potential fifth term in office and
an extension of his 17-year reign.
The 79-year-old Swiss, who was elected for the first time as president of the
world’s football governing body in June 1998, is strongly favoured to win the
May 29 vote holding at FIFA's congress in Zurich. Despite the fact that he is
not a darling of the international press and is beleaguered by criticisms from
top personalities in the football world that the organisation and the sport
have been tarnished by accusations of corruption during his long
administration.
Three other men are challenging Blatter for the seat. They are Jordan’s Prince Ali bin
al-Hussein, Michael van Praag of the Netherlands and former Portugal international
Luis Figo.
The four candidates are currently undergoing integrity checks by Fifa's ethics
committee. Their nomination papers will also be scrutinised by an oversight panel.
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