FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein has made a formal rotation of the World Cup between the continents one of the key elements of his manifesto and says he can see a tournament being "jointly hosted by several different nations," according to the PA. Prince Ali said he could envisage a World Cup being "played in different countries -- or even in different confederations" -- in a similar way to Euro 2020, which is being played in 13 nations. In his manifesto, which he launched on Monday, Prince Ali has also "warned against any decision on expanding the World Cup" from its current 32 countries, or a reallocation of places, being "taken for purely political reasons to try to drum up votes" for the FIFA presidency. He is standing against current President Sepp Blatter, Michael van Praag from Holland and former Portugal int'l Luis Figo. In terms of World Cup rotation, Prince Ali said the confederations "should take turns hosting the tournament." Prince Ali said, "The principle is that it should be rotated among the confederations but it still has to be based on the best bids. I think it is also possible that two countries from different confederations could co-host the World Cup." Prince Ali has also "promised greater transparency, including making public" the salary of the FIFA president and exec committee members. He also "believes that the minutes of FIFA executive committee meetings should be made public" (
PA, 4/6).
GENDER EQUALITY: The BBC reported Prince Ali said he "plans to divert more funds into women's football if elected." He also said there would be "more investment for both the Women's and Youth World Cups." Prince Ali, whose plans also "include a 'full debate' about technology in football," said, "We must encourage and support women's football from the grassroots all the way up, with better investment in women's leagues and international events" (BBC, 4/6).
