British MP: Blatter won´t last

British MP Damian Collins does not believe newly re-elected Sepp Blatter will see out his full four-year term as FIFA president.

Head of world football’s governing body since 1998, Blatter was elected unopposed after Wednesday’s FIFA Congress in Zurich.

Challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam withdrew his candidacy after accusations of corruption.

The Qatari is now suspended from his role as president of the Asian Football Confederation, pending an investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee.

Blatter, 75, also appeared before the committee but was cleared of any wrongdoing and has since been returned to his role as the head of world football’s governing body.

Collins is a supporter of ChangeFIFA, an initiative calling for reform within the organisation.

Despite Blatter’s unopposed re-election, Collins is confident a growing campaign of dissent will force the Swiss to step aside.

“Sepp Blatter may get through the election … he may have his coronation as president, but I am not certain how much longer he will have in the post,” Collins told The Australian.

“I think his time as FIFA president is drawing to a close.”

“Through a combination of external pressure from fans, sponsors of FIFA, parliaments and internal pressure from people on the executive committee, he will maybe sense, for his own safety, that he may have to take a different course. It might mean before too long (we) see a change in leadership.”

Collins has already enlisted the support of political representatives in his campaign, including Northern Ireland’s Ian Paisley and Australian senator Nick Xenophon.

“I have been working with ChangeFIFA to set an agenda for FIFA reform and we are asking members of parliaments and national assemblies to sign up to this agenda to demonstrate the growing concern about the leadership of FIFA,” he said.

“Sepp Blatter asked the other day, ‘What crisis? There is no crisis’. Well, I think he underestimates the level of concern and anger.”

“There is a crisis in the minds of fans and football associations and governments as well. The last few weeks have emboldened people to come forward.”