Prince Ali confirms intention to stand for FIFA presidency once again
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein confirmed on Wednesday that he is running for president of FIFA, as he asks for support to bring integrity back to world football.
Speaking in front of his supporters at an old Roman amphitheater in Amman, the capital of Jordan, Prince Ali announced his intention to rival UEFA chief Michel Platini in the new FIFA election, which is due on Feb. 26 of next year. The news follows a report earlier in the week that suggested Ali, 39, would run again.
"My sole ambition is to make FIFA worthy of representing the greatest sport and the greatest fans on Earth. I am running for you," Ali wrote on Twitter. "I ask you to support me in my campaign to bring hope, dignity, excellence and opportunity back to football, the greatest sport on earth."
He continued:
That is why I stand here in the timeless heart of Amman to once again launch my candidacy for the Presidency of FIFA. #aliforfifa
— Ali Bin Al Hussein (@AliBinAlHussein) September 9, 2015
Ali joins Platini, South Korean billionaire and former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-Joon and Brazilian football legend Zico as the main challengers in the race for president.
Ali's platform centers on transparency and accountability, with the promise of a "clear separation of powers between the president and the FIFA administration."
Ali reminded the crowd in Jordan that only he had the courage to run against Sepp Blatter in the last election in May. But he lost in his first bid for the presidency, securing only 73 votes in the first round of voting and then withdrawing from a second round.
Blatter was elected for a fifth consecutive term. Only four days later - after the arrests of seven FIFA officials in Zurich - he announced his resignation and called for an extraordinary congress to appoint a new president.
FIFA has for years operated within its own cloistered world, often handling investigations internally amid allegations of corruption. It hired former U.S. attorney Michael Garcia in 2012 to complete a report into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but he resigned last December after FIFA's ethics committee decided against publishing his findings in full.
Transparency International, a global watchdog, joined the chorus against FIFA in July, calling for an independent commission to lead reforms in world football's governing body.