News Digest

Prince Ali says election delay would further discredit FIFA

Delaying the FIFA presidential election would further discredit the scandal-hit governing body and deepen the instability, contender Prince Ali bin al-Hussein said Wednesday. FIFA’s executive committee could decide at a meeting next week to postpone the scheduled Feb. 26 poll, a delay which could assist Michel Platini if the suspended UEFA president is later cleared of wrongdoing by the global body’s ethics committee. Platini was provisionally banned on Thursday along with FIFA President Sepp Blatter at least 90 days, pending the outcome of an investigation into a 2011 payment to the former France captain.

Candidates have had plenty of time to declare and still do. The rules should not be changed after the game has started.

Prince Ali

Prince Ali, who was a FIFA vice president for four years until May, was Blatter’s only challenger in the May election that saw the 79-year-old Swiss returned for a fifth therm. Blatter announced his resignation plans four days later as the severity of the U.S. criminal investigations into FIFA officials magnified and sponsors stepped up criticism. FIFA’s executive committee “should not interfere with an ongoing process that was put in place by the ad hoc electoral committee,” Prince Ali said.