The race to head the governing body of world football is unofficially on. Who will challenge FIFA incumbent Sepp Blatter in the presidential election in Zurich on June 1? [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 15 Mar 201115 Mar 2011
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Swiss-born Blatter has served as general secretary, technical director and president since taking over from Joao Havelange to become the eighth FIFA boss in 1998. He is no stranger to playing football either, participating in the Swiss amateur league top division between 1948 to 1971 [GALLO/GETTY]
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Blatter does not have many fans among female players either, suggesting in 2004 they should "wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts... to create a more female aesthetic" to attract more male fans [GALLO/GETTY]
An important battleground for both Blatter and Bin Hammam is the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) region, representing a sixth of all available votes. Hammam will also target Africa, who have 53 votes [GALLO/GETTY]
But if all else fails, Sports Illustrated journalist Grant Wahl is throwing his name in the hat because "FIFA needs a Wikileaks-type clean out of documents to show what has gone on." [GALLO/GETTY]
Blatter has been in the role for 13 years. He was re-elected as head of FIFA in 2002, stood unopposed for another four years in May 2007 and elected again in December 2009 [GALLO/GETTY]
His reign has not been without its critics. The English Football Association (FA) supported Blatter when he first stood for the FIFA presidency in 1998 but backed his defeated opponent Issa Hayatou in 2002 [GALLO/GETTY]
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The FA are rumoured to want to back any challengers to Blatter. Perhaps this was prompted by FIFA refusal to allow goal-line technology or video replays in the wake of the controversial Frank Lampard disallowed goal in the England v Germany 2010 World Cup match. Or maybe it was the English 2018 World Cup bid defeat when they were knocked out in the first round of voting [GALLO/GETTY]
Michel Platini, head of European football body UEFA, is a potential barrier to his ambitions, rumoured to be putting in his own bid to be FIFA president in 2015 [GALLO/GETTY]
The Qatari was one of the driving forces behind the 1998 campaign of Blatter but the friendship seems to have faded. His involvement in securing the 2022 World Cup has perhaps given him the confidence to throw his name in the hat [GALLO/GETTY]
An important battleground for both Blatter and Bin Hammam is the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) region, representing a sixth of all available votes. Hammam will also target Africa, who have 53 votes [GALLO/GETTY]
His reign has not been without its critics. The English Football Association (FA) supported Blatter when he first stood for the FIFA presidency in 1998 but backed his defeated opponent Issa Hayatou in 2002 [GALLO/GETTY]
