Prince Ali warns FIFA will be 'held hostage' unless he wins election

FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan has described the upcoming election as “perhaps the most crucial date in the history of football governance”. Ali took a swipe at his rivals today as he outlined a detailed plan of action if elected the president of the scandal-plagued body.

Prince Ali, one of the five candidates eyeing FIFA’s top seat said he was seen as a “rebel” during his four years on the executive committee, which he compared to a “bunker”.

He also said that, if elected, he would review the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar if there was proof of criminal activity in the bidding process and he would “rely on the power of ideas rather than intimidation and coercion”.

“There is so many good people in FIFA, but many feel fear and often with good reasons. Let me tell you what happens when you don’t go with the recognized powers in FIFA. Development projects mysteriously stall; tournament hosting bids are suddenly compromised or withdrawn; national teams start to mysteriously face less favorable fixtures and even referees. All of these are effective ways to punish member associations that fail to demonstrate political loyalty”, Prince Ali, who is head of Jordan’s Football
Association, told a press conference in Geneva.

FIFA is mired in the worst crisis in its 111-year history with criminal investigations underway in Switzerland and the United States, where several dozen people, including senior officials in the sport, have been indicted.

Prince Ali is regarded as an outsider in the race, where Gianni Infantino has been given the backing of European soccer’s governing body UEFA and South America’s CONMEBOL, while Africa and Asia’s confederations have backed Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.