Blatter launches FIFA re-election campaign

Sepp Blatter launched his campaign to be re-elected as FIFA president on Wednesday with a promise to Africa that the continent would definitely stage the World Cup finals in 2010.

Although the 65-year-old Swiss said he was not "officially" launching his campaign for a second four-year term and would not do so until two months before the next FIFA Congress in May, he told delegates at the Football Expo trade fair that he was ready to stand after being asked to do so by more than 100 of FIFA's 204 member associations.

The vote will be held during the May 28-29 Congress in Seoul.

There is almost no doubt at all that Blatter will be elected president again. With five months to go before the election there are no other candidates willing to declare against him.

"I will go on for as long as they want me," he said.

Blatter also said publicly for the first time that the World Cup finals in 2010 would definitely be staged in Africa. Although that has been widely understood for almost a year, this was the first time the FIFA president had said so explicitly.

"Rotation of the World Cup finals around the confederations will start with the 2010 finals in Africa when the African Football Confederation will have access to the highest level of competition organised by FIFA."

He added that South Africa and Morocco, who both bid to stage the 2006 finals, would be strong candidates to host the tournament and that Egypt had also expressed an interest in doing so.

Blatter said that while the last 12 months had proved to be difficult ones for FIFA, he never thought about standing down as president and had no doubts about standing for re-election.

APPEALS

Signalling his intention to stand as a presidential candidate again, Blatter said: "After receiving appeals from at least 100 national associations, not just pointers, but appeals, and in view of the situation in FIFA which is not always a very comfortable one, I said I would respond to the appeals.

"If, at the Congress in Seoul on May 29 they are willing to vote for me, I am willing to work with them and for them. If leadership is asked for, I want to do it. I will go on as long as they want me."

Although Blatter himself then said he was not officially launching his campaign, there was no doubt that that was exactly what he was doing.

A 10-minute video highlighting his achievements as president since 1998 and his dedication to football during 27 years at FIFA was transmitted.

In a passionate 30-minute speech, he spoke of how football had survived all the crises of the last 12 months including the attacks on the United States on September 11 and the collapse of FIFA's marketing partners ISL-ISMM earlier last year.

"We have survived the crises of the last 12 months and football is ever improving. Like music it is a universal language, and like music it can be a vehicle for world peace."