FIFA congress to elect new president starts in Zurich

Zurich: A FIFA congress to choose a new president for world football's crisis-hit governing body opened in Zurich on Friday, where major reforms were also to be adopted.

The meeting to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter began with a video montage that noted FIFA's need to restore its "credibility" and move past the period of unprecedented scandal that has plagued the organisation in recent months.

Five candidates led by Sheikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Gianni Infantino and former FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin al Hussein lead the presidential contest.

Acting president Issa Hayatou said that the congress would be a "watershed moment" for FIFA after the scandal of the past year.