Sepp Blatter welcomes challenge for FIFA presidency
ByPA Sport
Updated 08/01/2015 at 15:18 GMT
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has welcomed the challenge to his position by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein - suggesting there would be no glory in winning without a proper fight.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has welcomed the prospect of an election battle
Image credit: PA Sport
Prince Ali, a FIFA vice-president, is the first credible challenger to emerge against Blatter and is likely to embraced by reformers in the football world, including England.
Blatter told Swiss newspaper Le Matin: "I can only rejoice in this nomination. We are a democracy, and this can only be beneficial for debate."
He then went on to quote a French proverb, adding: "And do not they say that win without peril is to triumph without glory?".
Blatter is standing for a fifth term as FIFA president, but has been elected unopposed since 2002.
He is the strong favourite to retain his position as Prince Ali will find it hard to win the majority of national associations even within his own Asian confederation, whose president has already pledged allegiance to Blatter.
Nominations close at the end of January and the only other person to have come forward, French former FIFA official Jerome Champagne, is uncertain of even gaining the requisite five nominations from among the 209 FIFA members.
Scan me
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement