Prince Ali backed by USA in bid to unseat Blatter

AP , Tuesday 3 Feb 2015

FIFA vice president Jordan
FIFA vice president Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein attends a press conference for his FIFA presidency campaign launch in a London hotel, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 (Photo: AP)

FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein says the United States was among the national associations to nominate him to stand against Sepp Blatter for the top job in world football.

The Jordanian also disclosed he was endorsed by his home federation, Belarus, Malta, England and Georgia.

At his campaign launch in London, the prince said: ''There is a bit of a culture of intimidation within FIFA but, having said that, this is a candidacy for the whole world.''

But his inability to gain widespread backing beyond his homeland in the Asian Football Confederation highlights the tough task unseating Blatter, who is running for a fifth, four-year term in May.

Michael van Praag of the Netherlands and Portugal great Luis Figo are also vying for the presidency.

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