FIFA presidential election likely in 2016 – Blatter

FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, has said he believes the next presidential election at the scandal-hit world football governing body will occur in early 2016 rather than this year.

“A realistic time for the congress is at the start of 2016,” Blatter told the Swiss paper, Walliser Bote, in an interview published on Saturday.

He explained this would avoid a clash with the FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Japan between December 10 and 20, 2015.

Blatter was re-elected for a fifth term as president at the last FIFA congress on May 29 but seemingly stepped back just four days later on June 2 in the light of Swiss and American investigations into FIFA corruption.

“It was the only chance to take the pressure, including from the sponsors, off FIFA and my employees,” he said.

“To remove FIFA and me personally from the firing line.”

However, in an interview with Blick on Friday, he said: “I have not resigned. Rather I have made my mandate available at an extraordinary congress.”

Asked by the Walliser Bote if he could yet stand for election at the extraordinary congress, Blatter replied: “I am not a candidate, but the elected president.”