RIVAL OUT TO END BLATTER’S DOMINANCE

London: FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin Al Hussein accused Sepp Blatter of turning

the presidency into a personal fiefdom as he unveiled his man

ifesto for the role on Monday. Ali, FIFA vice-president for Asia is in Cairo, where he is attend

ing the Confederation of African Football congress, and

said that an unfair system of patronage had taken root under

Blatter. Ali, Dutch football federation chief Michel van Praag and former Portugal winger Luis Figo are all vying to unseat 79-yearold Blatter, who will seek a fifth term in office in the May 29

election in Zurich. Ali’s manifesto contains several thinly veiled swipes at Blatter, including claims national associations have become dependent on his “personal approval”

and a charge that World Cup revenues have been distributed “at the whim of the FIFA presi

dent”. He also warns that “drastic action” is required to restore

the world governing body’s credibility following corruption allegations over the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar

respectively. When he launched his campaign in February, Ali spoke of a “culture of intimidation” within FIFA and he believes the fear of losing favour may yet influence voters in the election.

— AFP