Blatter's position at Fifa under threat from rival

It appeared Blatter would get a clear run at the presidency

The chances of Fifa president Sepp Blatter facing a challenge for his position look to have increased following an attack from his most likely opponent.

Asian football head Mohamed bin Hammam, the Qatari who delivered a stunning victory for his country in the contest to host the 2022 World Cup, said yesterday the world governing body needed much improvement.

Bin Hammam refused to rule out standing for president, and has been angered by Blatter announcing a plan to introduce an anti-corruption committee without first running the proposal by executive committee members. "Some of Fifa's acts I do not approve of or agree," said Bin Hammam. "I think Fifa needs a lot of improvement."

Blatter has also come under attack from Bayern Munich president, Uli Hoeness, who has claimed that he "has lost control" of Fifa.

Hoeness criticised the choice of Russia and Qatar for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He said: "It's a scandal how things run there. Apparently, a bid nowadays can only be successful if payments are additionally made under the table."

Blatter, meanwhile, has raised the prospect of a change to the system of three points for a win and one for a draw – he has ordered a new group to look at the laws of the game and come up with ways to make it more attractive. The recommendations by Task Force Football 2014 are aimed to be introduced at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Blatter said: "Is it worth taking another look at the golden goal?"