Sepp Blatter to stand for fifth term as FIFA president
Monday 8 September 2014 13:01, UK
Sepp Blatter has confirmed he will stand for a fifth term as FIFA president.
The 78-year-old Swiss announced the news via a video interview played at the Soccerex conference in Manchester.
Blatter, who was first elected to the role in 1998, had pledged before his re-election in 2011 that his current term would be his last.
But he said the backing of the majority of the national associations at the FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo in June had convinced him to keep going.
Five of FIFA's six continental bodies have already announced their support for Blatter and only Europe has publicly opposed him.
"You see a mission is never finished. And my mission is not finished," he said.
"Then I got through the last Congress in Sao 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'."
Blatter effectively has a free run at a fifth term in office after UEFA president Michel Platini announced last month that he would not be challenging the incumbent for the role.
Platini told UEFA delegates in Monaco he had decided against standing for the FIFA post as he wants to continue his work as head of European football's ruling body.
Football Association chairman Greg Dyke was among those who spoke out against Blatter in Brazil.
Blatter added that he "still respects" Dyke, who is "a good guy", but that England should take defeat gracefully.
He added: "In football, this game that you start to play at the youngest possible level, you learn discipline, respect and fair play.
"If you're at the higher level, you forget that this is discipline, respect and fair play. You've forgotten it.
"But, at least, don't forget that in football, you learn to win but also to lose. So, therefore, I appeal to all those to go back to the essence of football, and then you learn to lose. I have lost a lot of times but, if you lose, then you stay there and you try to be better. And then, stay fair - that's all.
"Fair play was invented by England, Great Britain - the beautiful game and fair play. So let's celebrate fair play."
The election for president will take place at the FIFA Congress next May.
