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Sepp Blatter should get chance to redeem FIFA and himself, insists former AFC boss Peter Velappan

Former Asian Football Confederation boss Peter Velappan has urged FIFA to give Sepp Blatter one more chance at reforming football's scandal-hit governing body.

In an exclusive interview with the ABC, Velappan is urging members of FIFA's Executive Committee to reject the challenges posed by former Portuguese footballer Luis Figo, Dutch Football Association president Michael van Praag and Jordan's Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein.

The long time ally of Blatter says the boss of FIFA has one last chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the sporting public and that Blatter alone can set FIFA towards a clean future.

"Knowing him as I do for more than 40 odd years, I think he now is at the stage to redeem himself," Velappan said.

"He is completely aware of all the brickbats thrown at him and blaming him for all the problems in FIFA, the negative images, corruption and bureaucratic leadership and I think he would use the next term to reform both himself, and FIFA, and his failure to properly tackle corruption within soccer's world governing body."

Blatter has been FIFA president since 1998 and despite vowing he would retire at the end of his current term, he will seek a fifth term at the top when the organisation meets in May.

Velappan wants the reform ideas put forward by British MP Damian Collins, under the banner of New FIFA Now, adopted by whoever wins the contest to be FIFA president.

He is convinced that Blatter will want his legacy at the helm of the most powerful position in world sport to be a positive one.

"I'm sure he'll want to leave the position at FIFA with a very good record as a reformer, rather than as a destroyer," Velappan said.

Velappan says it was time that FIFA spilled all the positions on the organisation's Executive Committee, adding that the air of corruption cannot be cleared until the all-powerful committee is cleaned up and new cleanskin members are elected to it.

FIFA's reputation has been dented to the extent it is now widely synonymous with corruption and back-room deals - characterised by the furore over awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar - a point emphasised by former Portugal star Figo when he announced his candidacy for FIFA president in January.

"I care about football, so what I'm seeing regarding the image of FIFA - not only now but in the past years - I don't like it," the 42-year-old said in an interview broadcast by CNN.

"If you search FIFA on the internet you see the first word that comes out: scandal - not positive words. It's that we have to change first and try to improve the image of FIFA. Football deserves much better than this."