FIFA leaders knew of corruption, says Prince Ali ahead of presidential candidacy declaration

Manchester, United Kingdom:  Prince Ali bin al Hussein, who led a challenge against Sepp Blatter in 2015, hit out Monday at FIFA leaders links to corruption ahead of his entry into the FIFA  presidential race.

The Jordanian prince is expected to declare his candidacy on Wednesday in Amman, according to sources close to the former FIFA vice president.

[caption id=“attachment_2424484” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File picture of Prince Ali. Reuters[/caption] Standing as a reform candidate the prince lost to Blatter in an election in May, just two days after the arrest of seven FIFA officials in Zurich. The prince said at the Soccerex convention in Manchester that he was still considering a bid. He indicated however that he believed he could win the race against UEFA leader Michael Platini, South Korean tycoon Chung Mong-Joon and Brazilian football hero Zico. “If (the election is) done correctly, cleanly, properly and without interference I believe I can for sure,” he said. And he again hit out at his rivals, particularly Platini, who announced his bid in July and is considered a strong favourite. “I have tremendous respect for Platini as both UEFA president and a footballer, but there’s a difference between UEFA and FIFA,” Prince Ali said. “Platini’s introduction into football governance was as a protege of Sepp Blatter. We need a new beginning.” The prince said he had been unconvinced by the French football legend’s reform proposals. The prince said that Chung had also been involved in FIFA for “too long”. Prince Ali said the FIFA brand is now “extremely damaged” and that its top leaders could not escape the spotlight caused by the arrest of seven FIFAofficials in a Zurich hotel in May on US bribery charges. “I do believe that anything that happened within FIFA was known within the leadership of FIFA,” the prince said. “There is no way that is not the case.” Members of the executive committee “undoubtedly” knew what was going on in football deals, he added. “If a player or if somebody breaks the rules then they are punished regardless of where they come from, OK So why is the executive committee different.” The prince repeated that Blatter “should take responsibility” and stand down immediately. The longstanding FIFA president said he will give up when the special election is held on 26 February. FIFA has been embroiled in a major corruption scandal since the arrest of the seven officials on 27 May. They are among 14 people charged by US authorities over more than $150 million in bribes given for television and marketing deals. The prince challenged Blatter for the FIFA presidency two days later but gave up after the first round of voting. “Right now we need a candidate who is forward-thinking, brings new ideas and not tainted by the past,” he said. Twenty-six October is the deadline for candidates to declare. All must get five of FIFA’s national associations to sign their candidacy to get into the election. Prince Ali is confident he will get the five signatures, the sources said. AFP