FIFA president Sepp Blatter is counting on Henry Kissinger to help clean up the world football body's tarnished image through new transparency and corporate governance policies.

An avid soccer fan, the Vietnam War-era US secretary of state and national security adviser is due to advise FIFA's ethics committee after months of explosive corruption allegations.

"Although Dr. Kissinger has not yet received a formal request, he did receive an exploratory letter from FIFA president Blatter... inviting him to join a 'council of wisdom,"' Kissinger's spokeswoman Jessee Leporin told AFP on Thursday.

The 88-year-old, who served as secretary of state under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in 1973-77, worked on US Soccer's failed bid to bring the 2018 or 2022 World Cup to the United States. He previously helped bring the 1994 World Cup to the United States.

Blatter was re-elected on Friday to head world football, as he vowed to "put FIFA's ship back onto the right course in clear, transparent waters." The 75-year-old first took over FIFA in 1998.

He has faced widespread calls for reform following allegations of sleaze surrounding the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar.

AFP