Prince Ali applies to run for FIFA presidency again

Jordanian Prince Ali Ben Al Hussein on Thursday officially applied for running again for the FIFA presidency during the election that will be held on February 26, next year.

A statement by the Prince's office said he officially submitted his application for FIFA to run for the position in line with the followed regulations and conditions, reports Xinhua.

Prince Ali challenged incumbent president Sepp Blatter in the election in May.

Out of the 209 votes cast by member associations in May this year, 206 were finally validated, with 73 going in favour of Prince Ali, and 133 for Blatter.

As neither candidate reached two-thirds majority, the election was poised to go to a second round where a simple majority would have sufficed to clinch the presidency.

Prince Ali, the only challenger to the 79-year-old Swiss who was standing for a fifth consecutive term, decided against going for a second ballot and withdrew from the race, automatically giving Blatter the presidency for the next four years.

These results come amid tumultuous times for the football federation. The election preceded the arrest of seven high-profile FIFA officials in May by Swiss police in Zurich on the request of the United States authorities.

In the wake of claims of corruption, Blatter has declared that he will step down.