FIFA President Sepp Blatter To Quit in 2015 If He Beats Mohamed Bin Hammam

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has announced he will quit the post in 2015 if he wins a fourth term of office in the upcoming June election.

The 75-year-old Blatter has been at the head of football's governing body since 1998, overseeing four World Cups and bringing his influence to the biggest decisions in the sport.

But his reign has been dogged by controversy and allegations of corruption—not least in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

The Sunday Times newspaper secretly filmed two members of the FIFA voting panel allegedly offering to sell their votes, and their findings led to the 24-man panel being cut to 22.

The English Football Association have subsequently claimed FIFA snubbed their much-fancied 2018 bid as retaliation for the Sunday Times investigation.

Meanwhile, the Qatar bid has been widely labeled a victory for wealth and influence over commonsense. There are the obvious complications of playing the tournament in searing heat to consider, not to mention Qatar's lack of footballing heritage.

The fallout from the World bidding process prompted the candidacy of Asian confederation chief Mohamed Bin Hammam, who will take on Blatter in the presidential election.

Hammam is campaigning for greater transparency in FIFA. He talks of "trust" and "credibility" returning to football's governing body, and there is a growing support for his cause.

But his bid could potentially be thwarted by the announcement Blatter plans to retire in 2015. The politics of the situation may mean he wins votes on the understanding Michel Platini takes over from him.

That said, UEFA Chief Platini could yet throw his support behind Hammam, giving his campaign an almighty push in the right direction.