LONDON: Sepp Blatter warned Friday that the “survival of FIFA is at stake” if he is deposed as president next month, while countering accusations his command of world football is undemocratic. Blatter, who is being challenged for FIFA's top job by Mohammed Bin Hammam, has fast tracked an investigation into fresh allegations of corruption against six senior members that surfaced this week. Bin Hammam, a former ally of Blatter, accused the 75-year-old Swiss Thursday of allowing FIFA's image to be “sullied beyond compare.” But Blatter insisted in a column printed in newspapers across Europe that world football would face an uncertain future if he isn't elected to serve a fourth four-year term. “The ballot on 1 June could lead to a seismic shift with irreversible damage. Quite simply, the survival of FIFA is at stake,” Blatter said. “It is a question of whether the game's established world governing body will continue to exist after this date or whether it will disappear into a black hole.” Despite painting such a pessimistic vision of FIFA's future, Blatter is confident of being re-elected by its 208 national members. “I will win the election with a clear two-thirds majority,” he predicted. “South America, Central and North America, Europe, Oceania and a significant part of Africa and Asia will continue to support my ideas. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile outlining what the alternative would be, i.e. none at all.” But Blatter acknowledged that he is “accused of acting in an undemocratic way.” “Decision-making authority can and must, however, be organized centrally, as in any other global undertaking,” he said. “Football works because there is one set of laws that applies on every continent. Otherwise, everyone would do their own thing. “Or let me pose it like this: who, in future, would establish which laws of the game if decision-making powers were delegated to the six confederations?” Blatter will try to shift the focus this weekend onto his push to use football to promote peace in the Middle East. Accompanied by Prince Ali of Jordan, Blatter will travel Sunday to the Palestinian territory and the following day to Israel. When the chairman of England's Football Association, David Bernstein, was asked Thursday whether he trusted either Blatter or Bin Hammam to run world football, he responded: “I don't want to answer that question.” Both the FA and FIFA are running separate investigations into alleged corruption during the bidding contest for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups that was revealed during a British Parliamentary inquiry this week.
