Prince Ali bin al-Hussein wants Sepp Blatter to leave now as FIFA president, and let a leader from outside the sport oversee the next election and reforms of soccer’s scandal-scarred governing body.
The former FIFA presidential candidate urged FIFA’s executive committee, which was to meet later yesterday, not to rush into an early election date.
“The future of FIFA is at stake,” former FIFA vice president Prince Ali said. “If a December election is called, there will not be the meaningful change in the leadership of FIFA that we so desperately need.”
Change must start with Blatter’s immediate departure, the Jordanian prince said in his first statement since June 2, when the embattled FIFA president announced his exit plans under pressure from US and Swiss federal investigations of corruption.
“President Blatter’s resignation cannot be dragged out any longer. He must leave now,” Prince Ali said, adding that his former opponent “cannot be permitted to plan his succession and manage this election process.”
Prince Ali joined longtime World Cup sponsor Coca-Cola and former FIFA advisers Transparency International in calling to exclude a man who presided over a scandal-hit organization from the process of shaping its future.
“An interim independent leadership must be appointed to administer the process of the elections... Only an independent party can ensure that sufficient safeguards are put in place to ensure a robust process and meaningful timetable,” Prince Ali said.
Signaling a split with his previous backers at UEFA, the sport’s European confederation, al-Hussein also warned against FIFA rushing its 209 member associations into the earliest possible election day.
“No date before March 2016 can be justified,” he said.
“It will not be possible for any of the other football associations of the world to put forward credible candidates from our community,” he said. “It is their absolute right to be a part of this process, and to have time to carefully consider the future without being rushed into an early election.”
Prince Ali did not say whether he intends to run again for the FIFA presidency.
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