Blatter 直面するs serious challenge at last
By マイク Collett
LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - If anyone had 疑問s that football believes the time is 権利 for change at FIFA, the roll call of people ready to unseat 現職の 大統領，／社長 Sepp Blatter should 追い散らす them.
With the 最終期限 to 服従させる／提出する candidatures for the FIFA 大統領の 選挙 の近くにing at 2300 GMT on Thursday, four men are 楽観的な of getting their 指名するs on the 投票（する） paper for the 投票（する） in Zurich on May 29.
Blatter, the 78-year-old スイスの who has been 大統領，／社長 since 1998, will be bidding for a fifth 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 and, にもかかわらず 主張s of 汚職 which have dogged FIFA for years, he remains the 圧倒的な favourite to be re-elected.
But he is 直面するing something he has not 直面するd before because rather than having no 対立 or just one 対抗者, he has challenges from across the world of football.
The first to 宣言する his 意向s a year ago was Frenchman Jerome シャンペン酒, who was FIFA's former 副 長官 general before leaving the organisation in 2010.
Prince Ali 貯蔵所 Al-Hussein of Jordan is 現在／一般に on FIFA's (n)役員／(a)執行力のある 委員会 as Asian 副／悪徳行為-大統領，／社長 and, at 39, would become the second youngest 大統領，／社長 in FIFA's 111-year history.
TIME TO GO
Michael 先頭 Praag, the 67-year-old 大統領，／社長 of the Dutch FA (KNVB), threw his hat into the （犯罪の）一味 説 it was time for Blatter to go.
Former Portugal winger Luis Figo is also in the running along with former フラン international David Ginola, although his cand idature is nothing more than a publicity stunt for a bookmaking 会社／堅い.
The 重要な question, however, is whether any of the "serious" 候補者s stand a chance of unseating Blatter.
"Everyone 推定する／予想するs the small team to lose but いつかs they 勝利，勝つ," 先頭 Praag said.
It would take the サッカー world to 転換 on its axis for that to happen in this 選挙, but with so many 候補者s 攻撃するing the balance away from Blatter that 可能性 remains.
As long as they can 公式に enter the race, Prince Ali, 先頭 Praag, シャンペン酒 and Figo will have four months to go around the world trying to 説得する the 長，率いるs of FIFA's 209 member 協会s that the time has come for change.
REAL CHALLENGE
Not since 1974 when Brazilian Joao Havelange 追い出すd England's Stanley Rous as 大統領，／社長 after 法廷，裁判所ing disaffected Asian and African countries and 約束ing them more money and World Cup places, has the old order 直面するd a real challenge.
Since Blatter 取って代わるd Havelange in 1998 when he （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 Sweden's Lennart Johansson in a 長，率いる-to-長，率いる contest, Blatter has only been 直接／まっすぐに challenged once -- when he saw off a lacklustre （選挙などの）運動をする in 2002 from Issa Hayatou of Cameroon.
In 2007 no-one challenged him and in 2011 Mohammed 貯蔵所 Hammam of Qatar やめる after 存在 （刑事）被告 of 贈収賄 and was subsequently banned from football for life.
FIFA has since 耐えるd a 非，不，無-stop 続けざまに猛撃するing に引き続いて its 決定／判定勝ち（する） in 2010 to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.
汚職 主張s surrounding those 投票（する）s led to Michael Garcia's two-year-long 調査 into the 投票（する）ing 過程 before he やめる as FIFA's 長，指導者 捜査官／調査官 in December 説 there was no 信頼できる leadership at the 最高の，を越す.
However, the 大多数 of the men and women who will 投票（する） at the 選挙 would seem to 同意しない with him. In 1998 Blatter （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 Johansson by 111-80 投票（する）s and in 2002 he 敗北・負かすd Hayatou 139-56.
The 利ざやs could be 類似の this time as five of FIFA's six 連合s who met last year before the World Cup said they would be supporting Blatter's （選挙などの）運動をする.
He has the 支援 of the 大多数 of Africa's 53 nations, at least half of Asia's 47 members, Oceania's 11, South America's 10, at least half the 35 投票（する）s from North and Central America and the Caribbean and the 大多数 of eastern Europe.
Although that should be enough for him to 勝利，勝つ comfortably again, he cannot ignore the 脅し to his 当局 this time 一連の会議、交渉／完成する.
($1 = 0.6593 British 続けざまに猛撃するs) (Editing by Ed Osmond)
