Prince Ali calls for FIFA presidential election to be postponed

FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has called for Friday's election to be postponed due to what he perceives as a lack of policing to prevent foul play.

Prince Ali offered to supply transparent voting booths to scupper anyone looking to cheat when selecting their preferred successor to Sepp Blatter, but FIFA blocked this request. It has left Prince Ali's lawyers questioning the legitimacy of Friday's vote.

(Courtesy: The Guardian)

"FIFA remains silent upon the measures to enforce it (the voting process) and sanctions associated with it," his representatives said in a statement. "Prince Ali has naturally brought to the matter to (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) on Monday the 22nd.

"FIFA has objected to our demand for expedited hearing in order for an award to be delivered before February 26th. This behaviour bears no rationale other than denying any right to a fair and transparent voting process."

Prince Ali insisted on transparent booths because of the belief that banning mobile phones isn't sufficient to ensure a fair electoral process. The fear is that voters will take a photo of their filled-out ballot paper to prove to interested parties that they voted for a certain candidate.

The court is due to offer a verdict on Ali's appeal on Thursday morning, the day before the election. There is no word on how long the election would be postponed for.

Prince Ali is currently third favourite to become next FIFA president behind Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Gianni Infantino. Tokyo Sexwale and Jerome Champagne round off the five candidates.