agence france presse
Zurich, June 3: Sepp Blatter’s shock resignation opened up a new race Wednesday to choose the person who could become the new president of FIFA with a
mission to reform football’s
scandal-tainted world body.
The names of UEFA president Michel Platini, Prince Ali Bin al Hussein, who challenged Blatter in a vote last Friday, and Portuguese football great Luis Figo were
immediately pushed forward. But none among the three declared their intentions.
“There will be jostling for that position. The election will take time,” commented one FIFA executive here. “Everyone will keep the cards close to their heart.”
French football legend-turned-politician Platini is the best known of the potential runners. The 59-year-old, three time winner of the Ballon d’Or has headed UEFA since 2007. He praised the ‘difficult’ and ‘brave’ decision made by Blatter to stand down. But he gave no sign of his own intentions.
Jordan’s Prince Ali, who was a FIFA vice-president until Friday when he lost the presidential election to Blatter, made it known through a spokesman that he is ‘ready’ for football’s top job.
“As for new elections, Prince Ali is ready,” Sala Sabra, vice-president of the Jordanian football federation which the Prince heads, stated. “He is ready to take up the presidency immediately.”
Blatter has said that he would remain in office until a new election is conducted. But the extraordinary Congress is not expected until between December this year and March 2016.
Luis Figo welcomed Blatter’s departure by saying: “Now we should, responsibly and calmly, find a consensual solution worldwide in order to start a new era of dynamism, transparency and democracy in FIFA.” But Figo, who withdrew from the FIFA presidential race a few days before the elections, did not state whether he is keen to stand for the post.
Figo, who was given strong backing by the Portuguese for his own candidacy, withdrew to give Prince Ali a better chance. Portuguese Football Federation president Fernando Gomes said a Figo run this time would be ‘an individual choice’.
Asia, a strong supporter of Blatter, could also put forward candidates now that the field is open. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti head of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa, a Bahraini royal could also jump into the fray.
