Blatter promises to quit - but only in 2015

Sepp Blatter, under pressure from a challenge by a fellow Fifa executive member, has promised to step down as president of football's world governing body in 2015.

Facing an election in two months' time against Mohamed bin Hamman, who has the possible backing of all Europe's football associations, Blatter has for the first time given a date for retirement.

But first Blatter wants to serve one more term as president, a position he has held since 1998.

His promise to retire in four years' time came after Bin Hammam revealed he was prepared to strike a deal with Michel Platini, who is president of Europe's soccer governing body Uefa. Platini was yesterday re-elected as Uefa president.

The 75-year-old Blatter is running for his fourth term as president of Fifa. The election will take place on June 1 at Fifa headquarters in Zurich.

"You know I'll aspire to another four years. Those will be the last four years I aspire to," Blatter said yesterday at the Uefa congress.

The challenge by Bin Hamman is the first Blatter will face since Issa Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football, opposed him in the 2002 election.

The Uefa congress also marked the start of campaigning for Blatter and Bin Hamman.

"We are in extra time," said Blatter, referring to the time remaining before the election. "Let's wait and see what the outcome will be."

While Bin Hammam promised greater transparency if he ends his rival's 13-year reign, Blatter told Uefa delegates that football's main challenges in the coming years would be to preserve the identity of clubs and to fight against illegal betting and doping.

If Bin Hamman can get the European delegates onto his side, he could present a credible challenge. They make up more than a quarter of the maximum 208 Fifa voters that Blatter and Bin Hammam will try to woo before the election.

The winner needs a two-thirds majority of valid votes in the first ballot, or a majority in the second. Fifa has set an April 1 deadline for other candidates to be nominated by a single member federation.