Jordan's
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has withdrawn his bid to become FIFA's next
president. This means incumbent Sepp Blatter retains the top job amid a major
corruption scandal.
Deutsche Welle, 29 May 2015
Jordan's
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has withdrawn his bid to challenge Sepp Blatter for
the FIFA presidency. A secret vote was set to go to a surprise second round
when the announcement was made.
"It
has been a wonderful journey," the prince said.
"I
want to thank all those brave enough to support me, but I will be withdrawing
from the race."
To win in
the first round a candidate needed to get a two thirds majority of the 209
member federations in the first round.
Prince Ali
garnered 73 votes, while Sepp Blatter managed 133 votes.
In the
second round of voting, a simple majority would suffice for Blatter to claim
another four-year term atop an organization he has led since 1998.
Both men
had promised to change the way the organization was run, with Prince Ali saying
world football was at a "crossroads."
He called
for a more inclusive approach.
Blatter
meanwhile stressed his experience, saying he didn't want to leave FIFA just
yet.
In his
acceptance speech, Blatter thanked members for keeping him as head.
"I
thank you, you have accepted me for the next four years," he said.
"I
will be in command of this boat of FIFA, we will bring it back to shore."
FIFA has
been hit by a number of scandals in recent years, including claims of worker
abuse in building facilities for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The latest
and most serious incident saw fourteen people charged over retrospective corruption allegations, leading to calls for Blatter to step down.
Prior to
the vote, Blatter told a FIFA congress he was responsible for ensuring the body recovered from this latest incident.
He said
world football needed "a strong and experienced leader," and that he
would work towards "a FIFA that will have enough safeguards which will not
need the political interventions."
Earlier in
the day, the 39-year-old Jordanian prince had said he would "restore
respect for the body we represent," and promised to make it more
transparent.
As part of
the ceremonies, Blatter and Prince Ali shook hands, customary for officials who
are leaving the FIFA executive committee.
Prince Ali
had been a FIFA vice president, but opted not to stand for a new term in order
to oppose Blatter.
an/msh
(AFP, dpa, AP)
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