Friday deadline for Blatter ´challenge´

Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam will announce on Friday whether he will challenge FIFA boss Sepp Blatter in June.

The 61-year-old from Qatar will declare his intentions over the FIFA presidency after revealing details of the press conference via his Twitter page.

“I will clarify my position regarding the FIFA presidency elections, which take place in June 2011. I will hold a press conference on Friday, 18 March, at 1300 hours at AFC House,” bin Hammam said.

The deadline to declare an intention to run for the presidency is March 31, and bin Hammam has been critical of Blatter’s performance in recent months as relations between the one-time allies cooled.

Bin Hammam was sworn in as AFC chief for a third time in January, and on March 5 hinted via his Twitter page that competition for the presidency would be good for FIFA.

“Competition is good for the organisation, whether president or any other posts,” he said.

“Competition is the best way to make the organisation vibrant and alive.”