AMMAN
Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, vice-president of FIFA and head of the Jordan Football Association (JFA), said Tuesday that he plans to run for the presidency of the global football body against incumbent FIFA chief Sepp Blatter.
"My desire for the FIFA presidency stems from my belief that the time has come to divert attention from administrative differences [within FIFA] and get it back to developing the sport itself," Prince Ali, the half-brother of King Abdullah II, said in a statement posted on the JFA's website.
"The decision wasn't easy, but I reached it after thorough consideration and months of discussions with my colleagues at FIFA who I respect," he added.
Deputy head of the JFA, Salah Sabrah, voiced support for the move, telling The Anadolu Agency that FIFA was suffering from "bureaucracy and stagnation."
"The candidacy [of Prince Ali] is meant to inject new blood into the FIFA machinery. The prince already enjoys the support of several football associations around the world," he added.
Prince Ali was elected head of the JFA in 1999 and was picked up as FIFA's deputy president in 2011.
In November, Britain's The Sun newspaper reported that Prince Ali planned to contest the FIFA presidency with the support of European football bloc UEFA, which has been irked by corruption allegations that have recently rocked the global football body.
Former FIFA Deputy Secretary-General Jerome Champagne has also announced his intention to vie for FIFA's top post.
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