Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam will today announce he is to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.
The 61-year-old Qatari will use a news conference in Kuala Lumpur to fire the starting pistol on a campaign to try to end the 13-year reign of Blatter.
Sources close to Bin Hammam, the president of the Asian confederation (AFC), say he is convinced he can beat Blatter after spending the last two months weighing up possible support among the 208 national associations who make up FIFA.
The Football Association are likely to back Bin Hammam - senior figures inside the organisation want a change at the top of world football after being disgusted at England's treatment by FIFA members in the campaign for the 2018 World Cup.
The election will take place in Zurich on June 1 and Bin Hammam will travel around the world in the 75 days between now and then trying to drum up support.
