Blatter takes the plaudits in final FIFA election pitch

By Mike Collett ZURICH (Reuters) - Incumbent FIFA president Sepp Blatter used all the tricks of the old master he is after 17 years in the job to woo delegates at the FIFA Congress when he made his final election pitch before voting began for a new president on Friday. The 79-year-old Swiss, who has been president since 1998 and is seeking a fifth term, gave a far more assured delivery than his challenger, 39-year-old Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan. Prince Ali looked more nervous and his speech was a little lighter on substance than Blatter, who got a round of applause when he told the 209 delegates he "did not want to leave them". Blatter, who joined FIFA in 1975, said he felt that he had only been at FIFA for a short time and wanted to stay longer. "What is time anyway. I find that the time I have spent at FIFA is very short," he said, "The more one ages the more time flies by quickly. I am with you, and I would like to stay with you," he said to a round of clapping. Addressing the problems FIFA is facing regarding corruption charges against past and present members of world soccer's governing body, he said these problems needed to be addressed immediately. Change would start tomorrow, he said. Prince Ali, who spent four years on the FIFA executive committee before leaving it on Friday to be replaced by Shaikh Salman of Bahrain, pledged an open, more democratic FIFA if he won the vote. "We have heard in recent days, voices which described our FIFA as an avaricious body which feeds on the game that the world loves. "We have heard questions raised about whether our family is morally bankrupt. And we have heard countless individuals ponder how on earth it could have gotten so bad. "There are no easy answers. And no blame that can be cast that will wash away the stain that marks us all," he said. "Change is not an event. It is a process. It is not about empowering wrongdoing and then demanding to root it out. Our path - and our way to the future - must be lit by the creation of a culture that empowers transparency, inclusively and accountability. "Our rehabilitation in public perception will only come through the actions and work of all of us, together, pulling in the same direction, for the good of the sport, and for FIFA," the prince said. Despite the problems facing the organization Blatter was the overwhelming favorite to secure victory. (Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Giles Elgood)