The Congress, in Zurich, is expected to mark the end of Sepp Blatter’s controversial reign as President of world football’s governing body after nearly 18 years.

The date was announced following a FIFA Executive Committee meeting at the body’s Zurich HQ.

At a news conference after this meeting on Monday, Blatter came close to acknowledging that the Congress, to be held just 13 days before his 80th birthday, would mark the end of his time as FIFA President.

“On the 26 February, FIFA will have a new President,” he said, later reiterating that he would not be a candidate and that he could not be the new President “because I’m the old President”.

He also indicated, rather intriguingly, that he is considering embarking on a career as a radio journalist.

As electoral shadow boxing got under way, Michel Platini, the UEFA President, who is seen as one of a number of possible heavyweight candidates to succeed Blatter, was being reported to have had assurances of support from four of the six continental football Confederations, should he decide to run.

The 60-year-old former French football captain later said in a statement: “We now have a concrete date and can look forward to new leadership which will bring with it new ideas and new solutions.”

A FIFA media release made clear that candidates were now able to declare their interest in running “as of today”.

The deadline for written submissions has been fixed at October 26.

These must be accompanied by declarations of support from at least five FIFA Member Associations.

The organisational reforms, which may yet have a bearing on how the election plays out, are expected to include: centralised integrity checks for FIFA Executive Committee members; the introduction of term limits, possibly three four-year terms, both for the FIFA President and others; and individual disclosure of compensation - an old bugbear.

Asked twice at the news conference - which began with Blatter being showered with banknotes by British comedian Simon Brodkin, better known by his alter ego Lee Nelson - to reveal his salary there and then, the FIFA President, in effect, told everyone to hold their horses: “Concerning all involved in this disclosure, we will do it at a time this comes to a decision,” he said.

FIFA said that the new task force would be chaired by a “neutral” chairman, who “should be appointed in consultation with the Confederations’ Presidents”.

The body would then be composed of two members each of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the African Football Confederation (CAF), the Central and North American and Caribbean Football Confederation (CONCACAF) and the European Football Confederation (UEFA), and one representative each of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

Blatter referred to the body as “the intelligent eleven”.

The name of Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General, surfaced over the weekend as a possible chair of an independent reform commission, though this later appeared to be played down.

FIFA said that “concrete and comprehensive” reform proposals should be elaborated for presentation at the next Executive Committee meeting, scheduled to be held in Zurich on September 24 and 25.

Blatter, who laid down his mandate on June 2, just days after being re-elected to a fifth Presidential term, in the wake of the arrest of several prominent football officials in a spectacular dawn raid by Swiss police, on Monday sought to explain his move by pointing to “pressure coming from different groups attacking FIFA.

“I had with my conscience to do something for FIFA,” he said.

Alluding to a “tsunami” that came to Zurich on May 27, he said: “I had to do something very special and I did it.

“In footballing terms, I would say I kicked the ball out of the field to stop something”.

FIFA said the Executive Committee, supported by the Confederations, “reiterated its unity and stated its firm commitment to reforms”.

It also underlined its “full cooperation with the ongoing US and Swiss investigations”.

Blatter is now expected to head to St Petersburg for the preliminary draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup due to take place on Saturday (June 25). 

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