The establishment of the ad hoc body - comprising Domenico Scala, chairman of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, Claudio Sulser, chairman of its Disciplinary Committee, and Larry Mussenden, chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee - was disclosed in a recent letter to FIFA members from the governing body's secretary general, Jérôme Valcke.

The letter also enclosed a copy of the electoral regulations.

These are intended to ensure "transparent and fair elections and thus foster confidence in the election process".

The regulations are said to contain "the principles governing candidatures and the electoral process for the FIFA Presidency to guarantee that electoral campaigns be carried out in a fair and reputable manner and in a spirit of respect for fundamental ethical principles".

FIFA President Joseph Blatter is expected to run for another term, but leading figures in UEFA have called on him to step down ©Getty Images



Word of the regulations and the new committee comes three weeks after Joseph Blatter, the 78-year-old incumbent President who is widely expected to run again, was told by leading figures in the European Confederation UEFA that, after four terms, it is time to step down.

It is now clear that if he does run next year Blatter would not have the support of Michel Platini, UEFA's President, although it is not clear whether Platini himself would run.

One candidate, Jérôme Champagne, formerly a leading FIFA official and, like Platini, a Frenchman, is already on the campaign trail.

Candidates must declare at least four months before the start of the FIFA Congress, being held in Zurich on May 29 next year.