Prince Ali says 'secretive' FIFA must open up

Image
AFP Melbourne
Last Updated : Jan 10 2015 | 2:55 PM IST
FIFA presidential hopeful Prince Ali bin Al Hussein today called world football's governing body "secretive" and expressed confidence he would oust Sepp Blatter in May.
Top Asian officials have been dismissive of the Jordanian royal's election challenge, but Prince Ali predicted his manifesto to clean up FIFA's tarnished image would persuade members to vote for him in the May 29 election.
"I'm not worrying about numbers at the moment," he said. "We have a few months to go before the actual election, but I have total faith that they are decent people who will vote for the future of football. I have total confidence."
Despite being shunned by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), whose president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa insisted there would be no backtracking on the regional body's commitment to back Blatter's bid for a fifth term, Prince Ali continued his call for more transparency.
"FIFA as an organisation tends to be a bit secretive," he said, according to the Australian news agency AAP.
"But (football) is the most popular sport in the world -- we should be confident and happy to be open and engaged with everyone. I don't see a reason to be guarded.
"We have to bring the administration of the the sport into the current time that we live in. I think that change is inevitable and I'm here to work for a positive change."
Blatter has become a deeply controversial figure following a number of damaging scandals including the furore over the bidding process for 2018 and 2022, won by Russia and Qatar respectively.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jan 10 2015 | 2:55 PM IST

Next Story