Blatter facing challenge for FIFA presidency

FIFA president Sepp Blatter acknowledged Thursday that there is opposition to his bid for a fourth term at the helm of world football, but insists he wants more time to strengthen the planet's most popular sport.

In an unannounced visit to journalists at FIFA headquarters, Blatter said he expected multiple challengers when he seeks re-election in June 2011. But he vowed to push on with his own candidacy.

"Now it is obvious there will be candidates for the FIFA presidency in 2011 - a candidate from Asia," the 73-year-old Swiss said.

"I have not changed my position," said Blatter, the world football body's president since 1998. "I am still here, and I hope to still be here in 2011. I have not now finished my mission, and if the Congress will decide so, I will be at their disposal."

Although he didn't mention any rival by name, he appeared to be reacting to the threat posed by Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar, who as the Asian Football Confederation chief could mount a credible challenge to Blatter.

Bin Hammam's candidacy - or one promoted by him - would seriously jeopardize Blatter's 12-year leadership of FIFA during which the organization has successfully recovered from a crisis caused by the collapse of its marketing partner earlier this decade. With its finances booming, Blatter won a third term without opposition in 2007.

"We would like to see an Asian as the president of FIFA," Bin Hammam told a news conference Tuesday in Seoul, after meeting the Korean president.

"I believe that the time has come for an Asian to come forward for this position. And there is more than one potential candidate available from Asia to lead world football. When we have that person I hope the whole of Asia will unite behind him."

While he stopped short of declaring his own candidacy, Bin Hammam separately told The Guardian newspaper that he would propose at FIFA's next meeting in March that all future presidents be limited to two terms - a radical proposal considering that before Blatter, Brazil's Joao Havelange led FIFA for 24 years.

"I am going to insist that no future FIFA president serves for more than eight years," he said.

Blatter, whose surprise appearance came at a panel hosted by FIFA No. 2 Jerome Valcke, took no questions and raised the subject of next year's election himself.

Still, he cautioned that there was still well over a year before the vote, a time during which FIFA will hold the first World Cup on the African continent.

"Ladies, gentlemen: We have time to speak about that," he said. "Don't ask me what I think about the others. I go my way, I go the FIFA way, I go the way I've been going."