In the end, it wasn’t even close. Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, who viewed himself as the only man brave enough to challenge Sepp Blatter last year, saw his dreams of becoming the ninth FIFA president fall well short of reality.
Prince Ali of Jordan, one of five candidates in Friday’s election, finished a distant third behind newly elected president Gianni Infantino and runner-up Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa.
It was a devastating blow to a candidate whose campaign platform and love of the game came across as the most genuine of the bunch, as he never wavered on his desires to introduce change in the organization which he saw crumble in the public’s eye during Blatter’s reign.
Widely regarded as the face of change ahead of last May’s election, when he went head-to-head with Blatter, Prince Ali stayed true to his word and campaigned vigorously to become the new leader of FIFA and see the sport he loves regain the respect it deserves.
Related: Gianni Infantino elected as FIFA president
Unlike his first crack at attempting to take over one of football’s most powerful positions when his candidacy was viewed as a breath of fresh to an organization rife with corruption, Prince Ali didn’t have the luxury of being pitted against a figure so widely loathed as Blatter this time around.
Instead, the president of the Jordan Football Federation locked horns with Infantino, who was regarded as the favourite.
But Prince Ali refused to quit, insisting he would remain in the race until the final vote was placed.
“I really want to save this organization,” he said.
In what may be viewed as a symbol of his promise to introduce change to the disgraced organization, Prince Ali held an impromptu meeting with the media at the Baur au Lac hotel, where FIFA officials were first arrested on corruption charges last May.
“I’m in the election until the end and will go through with it,” Prince Ali told reporters Wednesday. “But I want the process to be correct.”
Prince Ali also recommended that cell phones be banned during the voting process and that the 209 members cast their votes in transparent booths in order to eliminate concerns over rigged ballots.
The eyes of the world are on this election. Transparent booths are one way to ensure its integrity. pic.twitter.com/KEQgVSzSdE
— Prince Ali (@AliForFIFA) February 24, 2016
However, while his efforts ahead of the vote were portrayed as positive initiatives, they didn’t have an impact on the final tally. He lost by an overwhelming margin, ending his chances of becoming president until the next election rolls around in 2019.
As the vote count began to indicate he’d lose the election, Prince Ali’s representatives executed an alternative plan to help elect a candidate whose views fall in line with his own.
Prince Ali’s team met between 1st & 2nd rounds to approve transfer of votes to Infantino. Plan worked perfectly for his amended aims. #FIFA
— Piers Edwards (@piers_e) February 26, 2016
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| Infantino | 115 |
| Sheikh Salman | 88 |
| Prince Ali | 4 |
| Champagne | 0 |
If it’s any consolation, the public would have preferred to see Prince Ali become the ninth president of FIFA, according to a poll from NewFIFANow.org.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.