By Andrew Warshaw
March 26 – Two months after announcing he was standing as a FIFA presidential candidate against Sepp Blatter, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan has broken his self-imposed withdrawal from the media spotlight by accusing the current regime of not doing nearly enough to develop football on the ground and Blatter in particular of playing politics to meet his own re-election ends.
Five out six confederations may be largely behind Blatter as he bids for a fifth term of office on May 29 – the exception being UEFA – but Prince Ali says that in reality, many federations believe there has to be change at the top. “I really do feel believe from across the world that deep down in inside everybody knows there is need for change.”
Earlier this week, along with the two other challengers for Blatter’s crown, Prince Ali was given a campaign platform at the UEFA Congress in Vienna where he highlighted the disparity between the haves and have-nots in world football despite FIFA’s Goal project that has assisted poorer regions across the globe. “Many FAs around the world still do not have their basic needs met such as kits, pitches and infrastructure while others have a different pressure of reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup,” he told delegates.
Afterwards, he expanded on that theme with a small gathering of selected reporters, describing FIFA’s current approach to development as being more about image than reality.
“There is a big lack of input in FIFA regarding local needs. FIFA needs to have regional staff on the ground to implement projects. That’s the only way. It is a reality that many national associations around the world – and I’ve seen it with my own eyes in Asia – have to ask for the support of FIFA. It’s a bit like a drip feed system. I can’t imagine that an organisation with the wealth that it is has does not yet guarantee that every single national association has the basics. It’s not that difficult. Look at the Caribbean, Asia, Africa. There are real challenges. “
Prince Ali cites FIFA’s attempt at a multi-million dollar box-office hit, United Passions – in which Blatter is played by actor Tim Roth – as one example of how its resources could be better used. FIFA reportedly supplied a majority of the film’s €25 million budget.
Saying the film was the pet project of Blatter, Prince Ali said: “It was not run by the executive committee…Blatter did come and apologise for not doing that. But it’s a huge amount of money and a simple example of mismanagement.”
Revealing that he will shortly be publishing a full manifesto following his initial launch document, Prince Ali said it will include all the feedback he has gleaned from his global lobbying so far.
He is fully aware that it could be the end of the road if he loses, one reason perhaps why he has felt the need to re-emerge media-wise at this point in time, given Blatter’s sustained popularity with a majority of FIFA’s 209 federations. If he doesn’t land the top job, he says he will walk away from FIFA and concentrate on running Jordanian football as well as the Asian Football Development Project. He loses his Asian Fifa vice-presidency in May yet has not applied for any of the “ordinary” FIFA executive committee positions up for grabs at the forthcoming Asian Football Confederation Congress.
“It’s not about one person, myself included,” he explained. ” Having experienced what I’ve seen from the inside as well as being a federation president I believe I can contribute a whole lot more to the future of FIFA. I’m determined to win but I have made a choice and that choice is not to be a part of the exco in the future if there is no change of leardership. If we really care, we have to change it. The reputation of the organisation is crucial.”
Blatter may not be openly campaigning but, according to Prince Ali, the veteran Swiss is lobbying for support. He is critical of last week’s decision by FIFA to allocate slots at the 2018 World Cup at an executive committee meeting which will take place just after the presidential election. One day after in fact.
Executive committee members might not have a vote but they are supposed to represent the views of their respective confederations and, by association, the federations themselves. Prince Ali is worried about Blatter making promises about World Cup slots he might not keep.
“I am very, very worried that candidates can use that for political manoeuvring without having a real, proper, healthy, studied debate.
“I do have this feeling that it is to appeal to people just for the sake of votes. It is very irresponsible during an election year to make promises based on simple need to appeal to voters.
“There is nothing I have ever done in football where I have made a promise that I have not delivered, and I’m not going to play that game of making promises which I cannot deliver the day after.”
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