The election of the next leader of world football’s governing body will take place Friday under a cloud of arrests and corruption allegations. But the rules for choosing a FIFA president remain clear.
There are only two candidates left in this year’s race; the beleaguered 79-year-old incumbent Sepp Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term in office and his only challenger Prince Ali bin al Hussein, 39, a FIFA vice president from Jordan.
One of them is set to be anointed on Friday at FIFA’s 65th congress under Article 27 of the governing body’s statutes which states that:
– The president will be elected by secret ballot during the FIFA congress for a period of four years.
– There is no age limit for presidency candidates.
– The electoral body is composed of the 209 federation members (Gibraltar is recognised by the European body UEFA but not by FIFA).
– For a win in the first round of voting, a candidate must secure two-thirds of the votes of eligible voting members present.
– Should a second round vote be necessary, a simple majority of valid votes will suffice.
– Agence France-Presse
