By Andrew Warshaw
January 20 – Iraq has taken the unusual step of publicly declaring its support of Prince Ali al Hussein in the upcoming FIFA presidency.
Iraqi Football Association president Abdul Khaliq Masood said his federation had endorsed Prince Ali in a letter to FIFA.
“We have decided that Iraq’s vote will go to Prince Ali because Prince Ali has always supported the development of football in Iraq, Jordan and our region,” he said.
Federation officials have a habit of saying the right thing depending on where they are and Masood made his remarks after meeting Prince Ali in his native Jordan together with Iraq’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Abdul Hussein Abtan.
Nevertheless, while it is anticipated that most of the continent will back Asian Football Confederation chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, Iraq’s stance suggests the 46-strong Asian vote might be split on February 26 – just as it apparently was when Prince Ali took on Sepp Blatter in May despite Asian confederation support being for the veteran Swiss.
Abtan, meanwhile, told Iraqi state television: “We are very pleased to support Prince Ali. He is the best man for the job. We greatly appreciate everything Jordan has done to support Iraqi sports and youth over the years.”
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