Sepp Blatter's 13-year reign over world football could be entering its final phase after Mohamed bin Hammam gave his broadest hint yet that he will oppose the Fifa president's bid for re-election in May.

Bin Hammam already enjoys an elevated status within Fifa, having served as a member of its 24-man executive committee for the past 15 years. He is the president of the Asian Football Confederation, one of the six Fifa confederations, and the chairman of the Fifa Goal Bureau, whose grants provide financial support for member associations across the world. He was also influential in bringing the 2022 World Cup to his native Qatar.

Now it is Bin Hammam's intention to unseat Blatter from his position at the top of the world game. Bin Hammam told the Guardian: "People have to try change. Change is good." He added: "Within 10 days I will formally declare whether I will stand or not."

At 61, Bin Hammam has relative youth on his side compared to Blatter, who turns 75 today and would be 79 before the end of the four-year presidential term. Yet Bin Hammam's appetite is not for personal aggrandisement, since he would swing behind the candidacy of another credible challenger to the incumbent.

"I would 100% support someone else," he said. "I have not spoken to Michel Platini for a long time but I told him that if he runs he'd have my full support. That remains the case."

As Uefa's president Platini has ensured a greater policy of engagement with the clubs, football's principal income drivers, within his own organisation's decision-making processes. Bin Hammam considers this an essential task for the world governing body to undertake, in contrast to Blatter, who has repeatedly rejected demands for similar reforms at Fifa.

As well as a policy of engagement, Bin Hammam advocates the introduction of greater openness in the decision-making processes of Fifa.

"I would call for more transparency in Fifa, to widen the decision-making base and bodies within Fifa," he said. "I'd engage stakeholders more and give them a real platform to express their wishes. We cannot ignore the clubs. We should respect the clubs, and it is for the clubs also to respect the member associations."

There are less than three months before the election takes place at Fifa House in Zurich during the 61st Fifa congress on 31 May and 1 June. Bin Hammam's confidence has grown over recent months after a number of positive soundings received from the five other confederations in Asia, South America, North America, Africa and Oceania. However, the Qatari considers Europe to be the key. He is willing to delay his decision to stand for a few more days to gauge the level of support his candidacy might win among Uefa members.

"I am happy with [perceptions in] most confederations but I don't know about Europe and how they will deal with my candidacy," he said.

"Europe is the core of football. I would like now to make a real assessment in Europe. I have not declared myself as a candidate; maybe [upon doing so] it will be easier to see the response then.

"I will go to the Paris Congress of Uefa [on 20 March] and I will already have declared my candidacy or otherwise."

Bin Hammam also made clear that he has drawn heart from reports this week of influential support he enjoys within the Football Association. "The FA declaration is very encouraging," he said. "Now people expect me to say something."

As the man who has presided over Fifa since 1998, Blatter's reputation suffered when a serving Fifa vice-president and another executive committee member were banned from all football-related activity for up to three years after corruption allegations were upheld.

Blatter's unilateral call for an anti-corruption unit involving figures from "politics, finance, business and culture" caused rancour within the Fifa executive committee, which recognised it was not an issue he should tackle alone.