KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: FIFA’s presidential election on Friday in Zurich promises to be the longest in the 112 years of the world football federation.

A little-noted twist in the election regulations will contribute to extending the time demanded – assuming no-one secures the necessary two-thirds majority in the first ballot.

Five candidates are contesting the right to succeed banned and disgraced Sepp Blatter at the head of the world football federation.

FIFA has 209 members but the enabled total is likely to be 207 because of the suspensions of Indonesia and Kuwait.

All five candidates, under a change to regulations last year, have the right to a 15-minute address to congress. That adds up to at least an hour and a half.

Then, the vote will be undertaken at length with a delegate from each of the member associations called forward to the voting booth in front of the main stage.

In that case, if no candidate obtains more than 138 votes ALL FIVE CANDIDATES will have the right to go forward to the second round.

Since FIFA does not trust electronic voting, the need to account for single-file voting means the identity of a new president may not finally be known until early Friday evening.

Only from this second round will a simple majority be sufficient to decide a winner.

Africa has 54 votes, Asia 46 (in practice probably 44), central and north America 35, Europe 53, Oceania 11 and South America 10.

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