Yahoo – AFP,
21 May 2015
President
of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, gives an interview on May 15, 2015 at
the organization's
headquarters in Zurich (AFP Photo/Fabrice Coffrini)
|
Paris (AFP)
- Luis Figo and Michael van Praag pulled out of the race for the FIFA
presidency Thursday, leaving controversial incumbent Sepp Blatter in a straight
fight with Jordan's Prince Ali bin al Hussein.
Former
Portuguese international captain Figo withdrew with a bitter broadside at the
contentious election campaign.
"I do
not fear the ballot box, but I will not go along with nor will I give my
consent to a process which will end on May 29 and from which soccer will not
emerge the winner," Figo wrote on his Facebook page.
"My
decision is made, I will not stand in what is being called an election for the
FIFA presidency."
Dutch FIFA
presidential candidate van Praag also announced he was dropping his bid, saying
he will back Prince Ali instead in the vote on May 29.
"After
thorough deliberation and reflection with different involved parties and
stakeholders, Michael van Praag decided to withdraw his candidacy to become the
next FIFA president," his public relations team said in a statement.
Van Praag
will now "join forces with presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al
Hussein," said the statement, issued from Amsterdam.
Figo used
his Facebook announcement to condemn what he believes are double-standards in
football's global ruling bodies.
"I
have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing
FIFA leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with
Jesus Christ. Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes," he
wrote.
"The
candidates were prevented from addressing federations at congresses while one
of the candidates always gave speeches on his own from the rostrum.
"Does
anyone think it's normal that an election for one of the most relevant
organizations on the planet can go ahead without a public debate?
'Nepotism, corruption'
"Does
anyone think it's normal that one of the candidates doesn't even bother to
present an election manifesto that can be voted on May 29? Shouldn't it be mandatory
to present such a manifesto so that federation presidents know what they're
voting for?"
Van Praag,
a former Ajax chairman announced his candidacy in January, saying he wanted to
modernise the world governing body "which has lost all credibility."
FIFA had
become ridden with suspicion, conflicts of interest and allegations of nepotism
and corruption, Van Praag said at the time.
Van Praag,
Prince Ali and Figo were all campaigning for change following scandals
including over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Observers
said Prince Ali stood the best chance to unseat Blatter because the Jordanian
had a better campaign budget and contacts within FIFA, having served on its
executive committee since 2011.
Luis Figo
used his Facebook announcement to condemn what he believes are
double-standards
in football's global ruling bodies (AFP Photo/Mohammed Al-Shaikh)
|
Late last
month both Van Praag and Figo left open the possibility of a strategic
withdrawal in Prince Ali's favour to unite the vote, while speaking at an Asian
Football Confederation congress in Bahrain.
Dutch
newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reported that Van Praag, Prince Ali and Figo met
last week in Geneva to assess the candidates' race.
"Prince
Ali is believed to have had the most support after months of campaigning,"
the Dutch daily tabloid said.
It added
that should Figo throw his weight behind Prince Ali, he could bring "some
six votes from former Portuguese colonies on the Blatter-minded African
continent with him."
Blatter,
79, is a strong favourite to win a fifth term at the head of the world's most
powerful sporting federation.
The
election will be held at the FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29.
The winner
will need a majority from FIFA's 209 member federations. Blatter has received
strong public backing from nearly every regional confederation except Europe's
UEFA.
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