RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke has offered his backing to Sepp Blatter if the current president decides to run for another term at the helm of the world football federation.

On Tuesday, Valcke laughed off a question about whether he would stand to be the next president of FIFA in 2015 by insisting that he had a World Cup to organise. However, he added that Blatter should think again about a suggestion two yearsd ago that he would step down in 2015.

Valcke said: “Why change a winning team, a good team? The current president is very good and why should he not run again? Why should he not stay as the FIFA president as he is doing a great job?”

Blatter, 77, has been president of FIFA since 1998 and secured a new four-year mandate in 2011. At the time he said that he intended this to be his final term. However, there has been increasing speculation in recent months that he might reverse his decision — Soccerex Business Daily

#############