Former UEFA President Lennart Johansson believes his old rival Sepp Blatter will easily be re-elected as president of soccer's world governing body.
Blatter, the incumbent FIFA President, is running for his fourth term but is facing a challenge from Qatar's Mohamed bin Hammam in the June election.
Johansson said bin Hammam is lacking in experience and support in his bid to end Blatter's 13-year reign.
''Bin Hammam hasn't been long in business,'' Johansson told The Associated Press at a UEFA executive committee meeting on Monday. ''Remember that Blatter has been in FIFA for more than 40 years. It doesn't mean that I don't like bin Hammam, but I doubt that he will win this election.''
Both Blatter and bin Hammam are seeking support from European football in Paris, where they will attend the UEFA Congress on Tuesday.
Johansson, who lost to Blatter in the 1998 FIFA presidential election, said he believes Blatter is likely to be elected with ''100 percent of the votes.''
''If 100 percent of the delegates vote for Blatter, and I think that's what we'll get at the end, then they think he is the best one,'' Johansson said. ''That's democracy.''
Johansson's UEFA reign ended when Michel Platini succeeded him in 2007.
The winner of the FIFA presidential election needs a two-thirds majority of valid votes cast in the first ballot, or a majority in the second. FIFA has set an April 1 deadline for other candidates to be nominated by a single member federation.
