Blatter suggests he may stay at FIFA after his term.
In a speech this Friday at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress, Joseph Blatter was talking about plans to reform the organization when he hinted that he will not leave his post in two years, when his term ends; "This will be the last term, not of the position, the last term of the reform," he said, smiling.
By Patrick Johnston
HUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Reuters) FIFA President Joseph Blatter has once again hinted that he intends to remain in office after his current term ends in 2015, and has advocated for the inclusion of more Asian teams in the World Cup.
In a speech on Friday at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress, Blatter, a 77-year-old Swiss national, was discussing plans to reform FIFA when he hinted that he will not leave his post in two years.
"This will be the last term, not of the office, but the last term of the reform," Blatter said, smiling.
Then, he ignored reporters' requests to clarify his position.
Previously, Blatter had stated that he intended to leave office at the end of his fourth term, but in March he had already added that he would only do so if he found someone who would maintain his legacy.
UEFA president Michel Platini, who was also at the CFA congress in Malaysia, has been cited for years as a possible successor to Blatter.
Elected during the congress to preside over the CFA, the Bahraini sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said he would support Blatter remaining as FIFA president.
"If he announces it, then of course, yes," he told reporters.
"He has always been a supporter of Asian football, and if he can fulfill his promise and continue as president, of course I will support him."
WORLD CUP VACANCIES
Blatter also questioned the logic of Europe having so many spots in the World Cup, which could be seen as part of a campaign to gain votes in Asia.
"We need to start looking at access to the World Cup, access to the World Cup should be a little more balanced," he stated. "In 2014, in Brazil, (we will have) 32 teams, one qualified from South America (Brazil as host), and then you have 13 teams from one of the continents, which is Europe, and possibly five more from South America."
"If that happens, you have 19 out of 32, and there's no chance of knocking them out without one of them reaching the semifinals. That's the law of numbers. We should look into this... and bring these items to the agenda, because we should have a better balance."
Asia has four guaranteed spots in the World Cup, and a fifth is possible in the play-offs against the fifth-placed team from the South American qualifiers.