Sepp Blatter has confirmed that he will stand for a fifth term as FIFA president. The 78-year-old made the announcement in a video interview played at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester -- described as "the football industry’s leading business event."
Blatter, who has been president of FIFA since 1998, is quoted as saying:
"You see a mission is never finished. And my mission is not finished. I got through the last congress in São Paulo not only the impression but the support of the majority, a huge majority of national associations asking 'Please go on, be our president also in future.'"
The candidacy deadline is not until January, though at present, Frenchman Jérôme Champagne is the only declared opponent. Champagne's compatriot and president of the European confederation, Michel Platini, announced last month that he would not stand for the FIFA post.
The election will be held at the FIFA congress next May.