FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed on Friday that he would stand for a fifth term as head of world football's governing body.
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Blatter, 78, has been the head of FIFA since 1998 though has faced increasing criticism from European football chiefs in recent months amid accusations of alleged World Cup corruption.
The 2018 and 2022 tournaments, set to be staged in Russia and Qatar respectively, have both come under heavy scrutiny, along with FIFA's reluctance to publish findings from the investigatory Michael Garcia report.
However, Blatter is determined to resume his responsibilities for at least another four-year term and he announced his intentions to stand for re-election in the next FIFA Congress in Zurich in May.
"I have announced to the Executive Committee... that I will accept the demands of different associations and federations [to stand for election] to serve FIFA for a fifth mandate," he said.
"First of all I'm not running -- I'm at their disposal. FIFA is a service and I want to go on serving.
"I have been contacted, I have been asked, just before the [pre-World Cup] congress in Sao Paulo by five of the six confederations saying 'please stay and be our president' because, at the time at least, they say we have no other candidate."
After winning his fourth term in 2011, Blatter announced that it would be his last. However, he has made it clear in recent months that his mind has changed.
UEFA leader Michel Platini announced in August that he would not be rivalling Blatter in May's vote but the Swiss does have one challenging candidate in Frenchman Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA deputy secretary general. However, there is still time for further candidates to put their names forward before the Jan. 29 deadline.
Blatter can count on the support of Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa come election time.
Shaikh Salman said on the AFC website: "Joseph S Blatter has always been supportive of Asia and has placed great importance in the development of Asian football through various FIFA programmes. Our growth in world football can also be credited to the dynamic relationship that the AFC has with FIFA under the guidance of Mr Blatter.
"Mr Blatter has decades' worth of experience in governing world football, therefore I have every confidence that he will continue to play an important role in its development.''
Champagne, 56, has insisted that FIFA needs reform amid widespread allegations of corruption though admits he stands little chance of displacing Blatter as FIFA's father figure.
Blatter also downplayed the turbulence surrounding the decision from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to issue luxury Parmiagini watches, each valued at around 16,400 pounds, as gifts to FIFA Executive Committee officials.
FIFA's Ethics Committee says accepting such valuable gifts violates its rules and has consequently issued officials a deadline of Oct. 24 to return the watches before launching disciplinary actions.
While European football chief Platini has already said he would not return his watch, Blatter seemed inclined to agree, saying: "This is a non-problem."