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FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein
of Jordon (C) arrives for the Asian Football Confederation Extraordinary
Congress meeting in Melbourne on January 9, 2015 ©William West (AFP)
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Once Michel Platini who many truly believe has
the clout and the pedigree to defeat the incumbent Sepp Blatter to the FIFA
presidency, decided not to contest against the incumbent, many believed there
was scant hope for any other aspirants.
AFP now reports that Asia's top sports leaders
on Friday refused to back Prince Ali bin Al Hussein's election challenge to
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and insisted it was doomed to failure.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Shaikh
Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa told AFP there would be no about-turn on the
regional body's previous commitment to back Blatter.
He said all 46 AFC member associations were
behind the controversial 78-year-old's re-election, despite Jordanian royal
Prince Ali's status as an AFC vice president.
"We made it clear where Asia is heading in
the next FIFA election and the 46 countries have committed to Joseph Sepp
Blatter to take a fifth term -- so nothing has changed," Shaikh Salman
said after an AFC extraordinary congress in Melbourne, before the start of the
Asian Cup.
"We never change our commitment."
Shaikh Salman added that he had been stunned to
hear of Prince Ali's decision, announced this earlier week, to stand against
Blatter in the May 29 FIFA election.
"I was surprised to see it in the
press," he said. "If there is a candidate from Asia, Asia has to push
for it. It's not the way around that somebody can nominate themselves without
consulting the Asian confederation. At the end of the day, you will need the
backing of the confederation."
Prince Ali, 39, a FIFA vice president and head
of the West Asian Football Federation, was one of several officials who called
for the publication of ethics investigator Michael Garcia's report into
allegations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
His appearance in Melbourne triggered a sudden
media crush, although he declined to give any comment.
Blatter has become a deeply controversial
figure following a series of scandals including over the bidding process for
2018 and 2022, won by Russia and Qatar respectively.
- Tarnished reputation -
Prince Ali, who has vowed to repair FIFA's
tarnished reputation, is a close ally of Blatter rival and UEFA president
Michel Platini, meaning he can count on a significant number of the European
body's 54 votes.
Speaking to Swiss daily Le Matin, Blatter
responded to the challenge by saying: "I can only rejoice in this
candidacy. We're a democracy, and this can only be good for the debate."
He added: "Don't they say that victory
without peril is a triumph without glory?"
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) boss Sheikh Ahmad
Al Fahad Al Sabah warned that Prince Ali risked upsetting the unity of member
nations across the region.
He predicted Prince Ali would struggle to win "10
to 15 percent of the votes" and suggested he reconsider entering the race.
"I hope Prince Ali or any other candidate
will think a thousand times before making his calculation," the powerful
Kuwaiti said in Melbourne.
"He has the right to continue, but we wish
to show our solidarity in the football family -- and solidarity is needed more
than ever in this organization during (a time of) the Garcia file and stories
of corruption."
Sheikh Ahmad added: "I hope he will
recalculate to think what would be a realistic analysis (of the situation) and
take the right resolution."
However, Japan's football chief took a more
circumspect view.
"We have not made a decision on whether to
support Prince Ali or support Blatter," Japan Football Association
president Kuniya Daini told AFP.
"Prince Ali has very
clear ideas but of course it depends if the Asian members back him. Japan
belongs to the East Asian Football Federation and we hope to decide with our
partners what direction to follow after we meet with them next month. We
haven't decided anything unilaterally."
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