Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein is one of three candidates trying to unseat FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the organization's upcoming elections. The "once in a generation election," as Human Rights Watch's Minky Worden described it, will take place on May 29 at the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich. Prince Ali, who is also president of the Jordan FA, became the youngest member of the FIFA ExCo when he was elected FIFA VP for Asia in '11. In his manifesto, which he unveiled in April, Prince Ali warned that "drastic action" is required to restore FIFA's credibility. He also called for bringing back World Cup rotation and reallocating the number of slots for each confederation. SBD Global reached out to all candidates -- Michael van Praag, Luís Figo, Prince Ali and Blatter -- for their views and opinions on some of the biggest issues facing FIFA. Incumbent Blatter declined to take part in the process, according to a FIFA spokesperson.
Q: You describe increasing FIFA’s transparency as one of the main goals in your manifesto for the organization’s presidency. How will you try to achieve this goal and what sets your candidacy apart from the others? Also, what has to change within FIFA to make it happen?
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein: I fundamentally believe that FIFA needs to increase its transparency and improve its overall governance -- adopting a more consultative and democratic approach to decision-making. By being open about FIFA’s processes and its decisions, and by improving the organization’s relationship with international media, it will be possible to introduce a new style of leadership that promotes greater accountability, transparency and integrity.
Specifically, I want to ensure that there is a clear understanding of all the roles within the FIFA administration and the Executive Committee, including the role of the president himself. My proposals include a clear separation of powers between the president and the FIFA administration, empowering the ExCo to have oversight of the organization’s accounts and financial situation, and providing a detailed budget for the ExCo to review and discuss.
I believe FIFA needs to change, implement reform and embrace a new way of thinking and acting in order to demonstrate transparency and restore the trust of players, fans and all football stakeholders.
Q: Allocation of FIFA’s money seems to be a major topic for all candidates. How do you want FIFA’s money to be distributed and are any regions of the world underserved? Also, what would be the goal of a changed allocation?
Prince Ali: If I have the honor of becoming FIFA president, I want to empower member associations to be independent and self-sustaining with a FIFA Development Programme that is transparent, fair, generous and flexible -- offering tailored support and funding.
FIFA belongs to the national associations and they are all entitled to see a return on the vast revenues that the organization generates through the World Cup and its other events. After every FIFA World Cup, the Financial Assistance Programme payments should be discussed and agreed, with the delivery of payments made according to a pre-approved strategy and not on an ad hoc basis at the whim of the FIFA president.
As I have detailed in my manifesto, I am committed to protecting and building upon the present levels of solidarity assistance to all national associations and, in accordance with the agreed and transparent strategic plan, providing extra funding to the developing football nations that need it most. This is to ensure that in these regions, all the basic football needs are met and that every citizen has the opportunity to play the game while elite sport also improves.
I have therefore made a pledge to guarantee that each member association has a national stadium worthy of that title and, within four years, ensure that FIFA provides associations with basic infrastructure and equipment. Furthermore, my development program will see greater funding boosts for the Women’s and Youth FIFA World Cups so that many more nations in the world can host these events and participation can grow.
Q: FIFA is calling for the end of third-party ownership/investment in players. However, leagues and clubs in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and various other countries around the world rely on it. What’s your take on TPO? What should FIFA do to make sure clubs and leagues are not damaged by a TPO ban? What is FIFA’s responsibility to lead on this issue?
Prince Ali: In my view, the issue of third-party ownership of players requires urgent attention and action. FIFA has a global responsibility to protect players from any kind of situation where TPO infringes their freedoms and rights. When a player is subject to a TPO contract it is often unclear who the "owner" is and this can be a serious issue and undermine the integrity of the game -- enabling third parties to influence clubs, the performance of teams and the nature of tournaments and competitions. TPO also allows crucial money to flow out of the game when clubs often spend years developing young players.
I believe FIFA must show leadership on this issue and I fully support the ban of TPO. In the areas of the world where TPO is more common, FIFA must provide the guidance, support and tools so national associations and leagues can help clubs grow and develop without needing to rely upon third-party investment. That is the only way to eradicate this unedifying practice of owning and trading players.
Q: Corruption and bribery have damaged FIFA’s reputation in recent years. How can you combat this issue? How do you avoid another fiasco like the '22 Winter World Cup in Qatar? How must the business and social model of FIFA change?
Prince Ali: The FIFA "brand" has been brought into disrepute with ongoing allegations of mismanagement, wrong-doing and corruption. My goal, therefore, is to transform the organization so that it becomes a governing body of distinction.
The erosion of FIFA’s reputation and the suspicion that casts a shadow over its decisions can be traced back to how the organization is governed. Many believe the decision-making process is at the whim of an all-powerful president and that the organization has too much control over global football affairs. I want to adopt a more collegiate and open approach to governance that allows for a consultative decision-making process and encourages greater flexibility in how football is managed in different global regions -- devolving power to the confederations and national associations.
It is clear to me that FIFA currently rides rather than drives the success of the game of football. By establishing best practice in governance and by promoting greater integrity across the organization, FIFA can improve its commercial performance considerably and refocus on enhancing its development support to help grow the game -- with more investment to be directed into grassroots football to create more participants and fans.
When it comes to delivering value to football’s global stakeholders, I believe we can improve the image and credibility of FIFA and make it more commercially successful. This can be achieved by regaining the trust and confidence of sponsors and broadcasters, attracting new corporate partners, enhancing current commercial revenue streams through competitive tendering processes, creating and monetizing new FIFA multimedia platforms with compelling content and reducing wasteful institutional spending.
