Prince Ali calls for end to 'culture of intimidation' within FIFA

FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has called for an end to the 'culture of intimidation' within the world football governing body and has claimed that if he was the president he would take responsibility for the actions that have taken place.

The Jordanian FA president is one of three challengers to current FIFA president Sepp Blatter for the 29 May election.

Ali said that FIFA has discouraged dissent and debate under Blatter's 17-year tenure as president. He claimed that in the past people have taken a principled stand and they have ended up being punished for it, the BBC reported.

He said that he hopes things are played fairly and in the right way now.

FIFA has suffered a number of damaging corruption allegations during Blatter's period as president, with ethics investigator Michael Garcia resigning in December in protest at FIFA's handling of his report into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar.

Ali, who is also vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation and head of the West Asian Football Federation, said that FIFA needs to accept that the corruption allegations have damaged the organization's standing.

Ali said that everybody realises that they need to improve the reputation of FIFA, adding that one needs to work from the bottom up, and needs to have a president who serves the sport.

Ali said that if he was president, he would take responsibility for the actions that have taken place, and would do that hopefully in the future.

Ali, who has been on the FIFA executive committee for four years, added that he would resign if Blatter is re-elected, insisting that he couldn't see himself being on the executive for the next four years, given the circumstances that are.