Fifa president Sepp Blatter has announced that World Cup host countries will in future be chosen by a vote of all the 208 member associations.

Until now, the 24-man executive committee have made the choice.

But the controversy surrounding the decision to award Russia the 2018 tournament and Qatar the 2022 event has prompted the change.

"I want to give more power to the national associations," said Blatter, who is set be re-elected on Wednesday.

"In the future, the World Cup will be decided by the Fifa congress. The executive committee will create a shortlist - but will make no recommendations only a list - and the congress will decide on the venue."

Blatter, who has been in office since 1998, is the only candidate remaining in the presidential vote after his sole challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam withdrew from the contest last weekend.

The Qatari executive committee member was suspended on Sunday amid allegations of corruption, including claims he "bought" the 2022 World Cup for Qatar. He denies any wrongdoing.

On Wednesday, Football Association chairman David Bernstein called on the member associations to stop Blatter being re-electedunopposed but they voted by 172 votes to 17 not to postpone the election.

Among those who backed Blatter's re-election was Cyprus Football Association president Costakis Koutsokoumnis.

"In difficult times, Fifa needs a strong mandate. To do that it needs a strong leader and a strong president so we can move forward," he said.

"It is my opinion that we should support Mr Blatter. He has done it before. He has done it eight years ago, he has done it 12 years ago, he has done it four years ago. We should support him to do it again. And it's now the time to show the solidarity that is needed for football to go forward."

In a separate development, the head of Germany's football federation, Theo Zwanziger, has called on Fifa to re-examine the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

"I think there is a significant degree of suspicion that one cannot just dismiss," he told German television.

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"And that is why I reckon that the awarding of this World Cup must be re-examined with regard to these concerns.

"I do not want to comment on how that might happen until I know more about the matter. I am an outsider and not a member of the executive committee."

But Blatter claimed that despite the problems that have embroiled football's governing body, and the damage to its image, they could be solved within Fifa itself and with him in charge.

"The Fifa ship is in troubled waters but this ship must be brought back on the right track," he added.

"I am the captain of the ship. It is therefore my duty and responsibility to see to it that we get back on track.

"Reforms will be made and not just touch-ups but radical decisions. We have made mistakes, but we will draw our conclusions.

"We have been hit and I personally have been slapped. I don't want that ever again.

"We must stop once and for all, all these ugly criticisms, allegations, insinuations of cheating left, right and centre."

Blatter also said the chairman of the ethics committee - the watchdog group set up in 2006 to deal with claims of malpractice in Fifa - would in future also be elected by the congress.

He also suggested that a committee would be set up to examine Fifa's corporate governance and recommend changes.