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The men in line to take Blatter’s job

ZURICH — FIFA is facing a turning point in its history with the end of president Sepp Blatter’s 17-year grip on power. He was only the eighth man to hold the office since FIFA was formed 111 years ago, and in the last 54 years only three men have been president: Stanley Rous of England, who held the post for 13 years from 1961 to 1974; Mr Joao Havelange, who was there for 24 years from 1974-98; and Mr Blatter.

ZURICH — FIFA is facing a turning point in its history with the end of president Sepp Blatter’s 17-year grip on power. He was only the eighth man to hold the office since FIFA was formed 111 years ago, and in the last 54 years only three men have been president: Stanley Rous of England, who held the post for 13 years from 1961 to 1974; Mr Joao Havelange, who was there for 24 years from 1974-98; and Mr Blatter.

According to Mr Domenico Scala, the independent chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, a special meeting of FIFA’s member nations will be called to elect a new president. Based on FIFA’s rules, members must be given at least four months’ notice for such a meeting. Mr Scala indicated that the probable window for an election is between December this year and March next year.

Mr Blatter will continue his duties in the interim. In his speech he said he would use his remaining time to focus on a programme of reform, which would be directed by Mr Scala. AGENCIES

How does the election work?

It is a secret ballot which can last several rounds depending on the number of candidates standing. If any candidate secures two-thirds of eligible votes in the first round, he or she is duly elected. Otherwise, a second round ensues, in which only a simple majority is required for victory. Candidates with the lowest number of votes are eliminated from round two onwards.

All 209 of its member associations are entitled to vote, with each vote counting equally, regardless of the size or financial strength of federations. The 209 voters each belong to one of six continental confederations: Europe has 53 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, South America 10, North and Central America 35 and Oceania 11. Confederations often vote largely as a bloc, although there are always outliers.

Here are the men who might be candidates:

Strong contenders

1. Michel Platini - UEFA president and the favourite to replace Blatter. Platini is considered one of the greatest footballers ever, playing 72 times for France and leading them to victory in the 1984 European championships.

2. Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein - The Jordanian FA yesterday begun legal inquiries into whether Prince Ali could replace Blatter without the need for a second election. Won 73 votes in the election last week.

3. Sheikh Ahmad al Fahad al Sabah - A new member of FIFA’s all-powerful executive committee.

Those with outside chance

1. Alfredo Hawit - Newly elected president of CONCACAF. Will be high-profile in the coming weeks.

2. Michael van Praag - Former Ajax chairman. Might struggle to find backers.

3. Luis Figo - High profile former player. Inexperienced in FIFA politics.

4. David Ginola - The former Tottenham Hotspur player is an unlikely candidate, but remains undeterred.

5. Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa - President of the Asian Football Confederation. Played a key role in helping Blatter win his election.

6. Jerome Champagne - Former FIFA executive and French diplomat. May struggle to get backing.7. Wolfgang Niersbach - Now the president of the German Football Association, Niersbach would bring a modern reformist approach to FIFA while fostering global cooperation.

8. Domenico Scala - If anyone from within FIFA was to stand a chance of a shot at the top job, it could be the authoritative Swiss-Italian businessman, who has been independent chairman of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee since May 2012.

9. Zico – Currently the coach of Indian club Goa, Brazilian football great Zico wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday that he saw no reason not to consider becoming a candidate.

10. Chung Mong-joon - The billionaire scion of South Korea’s Hyundai conglomerate, Chung yesterday expressed his interest in running for the FIFA presidency. Chung was formerly a part of FIFA’s powerful Executive Committee,

11. Senes Erzik - The Turk was formerly UEFA vice-president and was known to be not a fan of Blatter.

12. Ted Howard - The deputy general secretary for CONCACAF. Howard played football at university level and became a coach after.

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