Delaying Fifa vote risks creating further uncertainty, warns presidential candidate Prince Ali

Fifa presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein on Wednesday urged that the world football body maintain its election date to avoid creating any kind of instability. Fifa’s executive is set to meet next Tuesday following the suspension of its president Sepp Blatter. Some media reports have said it could delay the election scheduled for 26 February.

Reuters/Muhammad Hamed

“The organisation needs to move beyond interim leadership and elect an accountable president,” said the Jordanian prince, in comments cited by the AFP news agency.

Prince Ali said delaying the scheduled polls would only “create further instability” amid a crisis that is “deepening”.

"It would tell the world that lessons haven't been learned, that the same backroom deals that have discredited FIFA in the first place continue," said the 39-year-old Jordanian royal.

Prince Ali studied in the UK and US, before entering Sandhurst where he was awarded with the Brunei Medal for Excellence, according to the Jordan Times.

In 2011, he was elected Fifa vice president for Asia and in 2012 he founded the Asian Football Development Project.

Fifa was rocked by further developments in the corruption scandal enveloping it when its ethics watchdog suspended Blatter and Uefa leader Michel Platini.

Blatter faces a criminal investigation in Switzerland while Platini has been fingered over a two million euro payment from Fifa.