Fifa officials have held talks with Sepp Blatter over his future as the president of football’s world governing body, according to BBC Sport.
The discussions, involving representatives from a number of football confederations, are understood to have started in October 2013, at the celebrations for the English Football Association’s 150th anniversary.
Blatter has since confirmed his intention to stand in May’s presidential election and seek a fifth term of office.
However, with the 29 January deadline looming for candidates to declare their interest, there is mounting concern amongst several Fifa executives over the governing body’s future direction and leadership.
Speaking in Manilla earlier this month, Blatter reaffirmed he has support from five of the six confederations that constitute Fifa.
But BBC Sport has been told the recent crisis within the governing body, stemming from an investigation into alleged World Cup bidding corruption that culminated last week in the resignation of ethics committee investigator Michael Garcia, could yet have far-reaching effects.
Garcia quit citing a lack of independence in Fifa’s judicial processes and his belief the organisation’s culture was beyond reform.
In light of recent events, a number of potential challengers are said to be weighing their candidacy options.
Fifa executive committee member Prince Ali of Jordan is understood to be one potential candidate Uefa would consider supporting.
With former Fifa official Jerome Champagne the only other person to publicly state his wish to run, attention amongst Fifa insiders is starting to turn to Jeffrey Webb.
He was appointed president of Concacaf, the football confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean, in 2012 in the wake a major financial scandal involving the former Fifa vice-presidents Chuck Blazer and Jack Warner.
Since then, he has stabilised the organisation’s finances and has led Fifa’s anti-discrimination taskforce, which has introduced tough new sanctions for racism offences within the game.
Blatter himself does not sound very convincing about his desire to run.
Asked whether he was definitely in the running, he said: “We will see on 1 February who are the candidates for the election.
“Probably you will see my name there because I’ve been asked by a lot of national associations to do so. But let me pass Christmas, or let’s say the fiestas at the end of the year, and give me then the opportunity to say: ‘Yes I will be present.'”
Credit: BBC
