FIFA has set up a three-man electoral committee to Supervise the process of what may yet be a bitter and divisive presidential election.
The establishment of the ad hoc body - comprising Domenico Scala, chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, Claudio Sulser, chairman of its disciplinary committee, and Larry Mussenden, chairman of the FIFA appeal committee - was disclosed in a recent letter to FIFA members from FIFA secretary general, Jérôme Valcke.
The letter also enclosed a copy of the electoral regulations. These are intended to ensure "transparent and fair elections and thus foster confidence in the election process".
The regulations are said to contain "the principles governing candidatures and the electoral process for the FIFA presidency to guarantee that electoral campaigns be carried out in a fair and reputable manner and in a spirit of respect for fundamental ethical principles".
Word of the regulations and the new committee comes three weeks after Sepp Blatter, the 78-year-old incumbent president who is widely expected to run again, was told by leading figures in the European Confederation UEFA that, after four terms, it is time to step down.
Dutch federation president Michael van Praag, a key member of UEFA's executive committee, told Blatter to his face that he had had to take responsibility for FIFA's tainted reputation.
"FIFA's image has deteriorated because of everything that's happened in recent years," Van Praag said. "All these problems occurred when you were president so I believe that you should not run any more."
It is now clear that if he does run next year Blatter would not have the support of Michel Platini, UEFA's President, although it is not clear whether Platini himself would run.
One candidate, Jérôme Champagne, formerly a leading FIFA official and, like Platini, a Frenchman, is already on the campaign trail, while Van Praag has also now been tipped as a possible candidate.
Candidates must declare at least four months before the start of next year's FIFA Congress.
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