By Samindra Kunti and Andrew Warshaw
May 22 – Michael van Praag says it was always the plan to end up with one candidate to go against Sepp Blatter for FIFA president and that it gradually became apparent he could not poll as much global support as Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.
As Prince Ali prepared to go head to head with Blatter in Zurich next week following the withdrawals of both van Praag and an angry Luis Figo, the strategy to unseat the 79-year-old Swiss after 17 years at the helm began clear.
Both van Praag and Figo have spent the best part of four months criss-crossing the globe but neither was able to count on as much support outside Europe as Prince Ali whose presence at the top table of FIFA for the last four years gave him a distinct advantage.
Now, the two outgoing candidates will hope that by transferring their allegiances to Prince Ali, they can provide him with the best shot of unseating Blatter.
“The main reason I withdrew is that Prince Ali, according to the information that we have, can count on much more pledged support, especially outside Europe, than me,” the Dutch FA president told Insideworldfootball on the fringes of a news conference he held in Amsterdam on Thursday evening.
“I think that it should be possible to mobilise Europe, and in its trail CONMEBOL, to back the prince. I consider his chance to gain more votes than me quite big. Because he is the only one left, he has got more chance than if we had stayed with three.”
Van Praag says it was always intended to reduce the field just before the May 29 ballot at the FIFA Congress.
“It would have been bad to end up with three candidates. You should never do that – there are FA presidents who ask ‘whom should I vote for’? We have always endeavoured to have one candidate and now the proof will be in the pudding to see what happens. This has been precisely planned – to do it just before the elections.
“With three candidates, you don’t have the time to see everyone, especially in the three months I have had. Figo and Prince Ali have met other people. With three candidates you meet more people. You can try and convince more people to back change.”
Van Praag revealed that the intervention of UEFA president Michel Platini had been a key factor in two of the contenders pulling out. UEFA has consistently sat on the fence in terms of which of Blatter’s opponents to back but Platini urged the candidates at a privately held meeting in Switzerland last week to rally round a single challenger.
“President Platini can hardly work for three candidates. That’s tricky,” said van Praag. “Now there is one candidate. He said last week that ‘there has to be one candidate, otherwise I can’t work for you’. I didn’t talk to Mr. Platini privately, but we sat together last Monday, all of us – Mr. Platini and the three of us. He knew when he left that I, at least, had the plan to join and support the prince.”
Van Praag still believes it was undemocratic of the confederations, other than UEFA, to prevent the candidates speaking at their various congresses.
“A lot of other countries think that’s not democratic too but they are not raising their voices. They don’t dare to say that. In the run-up to the elections I don’t consider it fair that one candidate is allowed to say something and the other isn’t.”
During his press conference in Amsterdam, van Praag declined to say how many federations had agreed to support him.
“I am not going to tell you. Not because I don’t want to but because the president of those countries find it difficult to tell their public that they support me, or the prince or Figo. Given that fact, I am not going to disclose names.”
He said it was crucial, however, that Europe pledges its entire support to Prince Ali.
“Europe is a big confederation with 54 votes. It was clear that we need the support of president Platini to achieve that. He clearly said last week that it was difficult for him to start working, having three candidates. Today we have one candidate, so I am sure he will start working and then we will see. But I am not a prophet, I can’t predict how many countries will vote this or that.
“Listening to what those European presidents told me – and I have spoken to every single one – they all said we should have one candidate. I know the ones that are hesitating and I also know the ones that are not hesitating, so I know exactly what I have to do the coming week.”
“It doesn’t feel like a defeat (to have pulled out). It feels like a great gesture that I put my own personality at the service of the greater good – that I don’t pursue my own ego and my own personality and that are precisely the reactions I get from the presidents that I have told today.
“It would have been a defeat if I had obstinately continued with the knowledge that I have now and that only 20 votes would have emerged. That would have been very stupid. …Prince Ali has the best chances at this moment so I would be crazy to think about myself.”
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