Real Madrid's captain Casillas (L) shakes hand with Morocco's Prince Moulay Hassan after their team won the Club World Cup final soccer match against San Lorenzo at Marrakesh stadium December 20, 2014. FIFA President Sepp Blatter looks on at 3rd
Real Madrid's captain Casillas (L) shakes hand with Morocco's Prince Moulay Hassan after their team won the Club World Cup final soccer match against San Lorenzo at Marrakesh stadium December 20, 2014. FIFA President Sepp Blatter looks on at 3rd L. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Sepp Blatter, 78, will have to face incumbent FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, 39, of Jordan and former French diplomat Jerome Champagne, 56, to get re-elected for his fifth term in the office. All prospective candidates must announce their intention to run for the election by Jan. 29th. The date of election is May 29th this year.

Sepp Blatter is currently the third longest president in FIFA's history. He will be completing 16 years in charge very soon. The longest serving president was Jules Rimet. He was in office for 33 years. The second longest was Brazilian Joao Havelange. He served for 24 years. Blatter took over the reins from him.

Sepp Blatter is known for ruthlessly removing any potential threats of his presidency with surgical precision. In the 1998 election he won a bitter fight against former UEFA president Lennart Johansson. In 2002 he won more decisively against Issa Hayatou, the president of CAF, the African confederation. In 2007 Blatter won unopposed. In 2011 Blatter again won unopposed as the person supposed to have been the other contender, Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Federation was not allowed to run because of bribery allegations.

What will go in Price Ali's favour is that he is a popular member of the FIFA and will be backed by the UEFA. UEFA president Michel Platini has voiced his support for the prince, so has FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce and former FA chairman David Bernstein. What will go against him is the fact that he lost his last election when he fought for the presidency of the Asian Football Confederation. Another factor that will also go against him is the presence of another candidate Jerome Champagne. Clearly the votes opposing the Blatter reign will be split.

Champagne is adamant in not withdrawing his candidature. He insists that he announced his candidature about a year back and if anybody should step down it should be Ali. For now the voices of dissent in FIFA are happy that there is a fight in the first place. "FIFA needs a change and I think Prince Ali could do it," Bernstein said while summing up the whole situation.

To contact the author of this article email a.biswas@IBTimes.com.au

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