FIFA the structure; Blatter the foundation

Elections require hard hitting words and that is exactly what FIFA president Sepp Blatter is doing ahead of the elections to the apex body in soccer, against Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Training his guns on Bin Hammam, Blatter said that FIFA is like a structure which requires a solid foundation, referring to himself as someone whose ideas find support. "What applies for every carpenter also applies for us: the roof will only hold as long as the foundations are in place.If the ground beneath crumbles, the entire edifice will collapse," he said.

The Swiss also said that though he believes that Latin and North America, Europe, Oceania, most parts of Asia and Africa will support him, that if he is not elected back, 'FIFA will be plunged into a dark hole.' Although over-confidence may well be taken as a given through his pre-election speeches, the 75-year-old campaign has taken a hit by corruption charges against some of his officials during the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Bin Hammam on the other hand has tread cautiously, highlighting the charges of corruption and assuring a transparent FIFA, if he is elected to power. "Not all FIFA officials are corrupt though it is impossible to deny that its reputation has been sullied beyond compare. It is time for a change," he said.