Corruption watchdog urges election delay

"The should postpone the election and really clear up everything, take some time and then hold a new election," Sylvia Schenk, sports advisor for the Berlin-based watchdog which issues a global league table of the least corrupt nations, told Reuters.

Schenk also said that FIFA, plagued by cash-for-votes allegations, should allow an external inquiry into the way it handles its affairs.

"I doubt they can solve this internally," she said. "The have tried several times and always failed, they are too many things from the past which keep surfacing.

"It's always better to accept some help from the outside, to have someone else look through the documents and suggest solutions.

"I don't have the feeling that these recent cases came to public because the ethics committee is working, most of it has been because of the media.

"There are many sports organisations have a powerful, autocratic president and the delegates don't have much real control, they meet once a year, they can't look behind the scenes," she added.

Schenk also suggested that FIFA should limit the length of time officials can serve.

"That would also be helpful," she added. "If you have long-lasting people, they get to know each other very well... it's always better not to have people in the same position for too long."