(ATR) Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan says FIFA’s decision to suspend funding to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL means their votes for the upcoming FIFA presidential election are being held for ransom.
Prince Ali, a former FIFA vice president, is one of five men in the running to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter as FIFA president. The election is scheduled for Feb. 26.
His camp released a statement on Wednesday, two days after it was reported that FIFA was withholding $20 million to the two soccer federations at the heart of a widespread corruption case by the U.S. Department of Justice. More than three dozen people have been charged in the case, most of them with ties to either CONCACAF or CONMEBOL.
Prince Ali, in his statement, asks, "…who decided that 45 Member Associations should suffer collective punishment as a result of individuals' bad actions; who decided to hold these votes to ransom less than three weeks before the election and who exactly will decide when the funding will be reinstated?"
Around the Rings is told by Prince Ali's camp @AliForFIFA he has not filed an official complaint about FIFA suspending funding for CONMEBOL and CONCACAF or called for an electoral committee probe into "votes for ransom" claim.
This is likely nothing more than bad timing on the part of FIFA. But should there be something to Prince Ali’s claims of votes being held for ransom, it would appear UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino’s presidential bid has the most to lose.
CONMEBOL has thrown its support behind Infantino as have the Central American nations who make up a part of CONCACAF.
Asian Football chief Sheikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa remains the favorite given his support in his home confederation. Former FIFA official Jerome Champagne and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale are the other two candidates.
Written by Gerard Farek
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