- Title: Prince Ali says FIFA needs to speed up reforms
- Date: 24th October 2016
- Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (OCTOBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) FIFA UNDER-17 WORLD CUP TROPHY (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEIN SAYING: "Everybody's looking at FIFA and the direction it's going, again it's a critical time, there's no time to lose. The reality is putting aside the big ideas, like an increase in the World Cup, the real issue is the organisation itself and cleaning it up. For me I wish it would be more streamlined, more open, and that's what I'm hoping will take place. It's too early for me to judge but again it's only a couple of years till the next election. My only concern is that people are looking at that rather than what really needs to be done in the meantime." PRINCE ALI BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEIN SAYING: "But again from my perspective, and having been there, and having not been a part or played around the way others did, and have stuck to my guns in terms of really supporting football and having a clean organisation, I know that's where the work really needs to be done, and that's what this is all about." PRINCE ALI (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEIN SAYING: "But really you need to clean up the organisation because underneath the organisation you have the national associations who have their own problems in terms of going down to match fixing and so on, and you need to have a real clean FIFA to be able to trickle down to our national associations as well." PRINCE ALI BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEIN SAYING: "When it comes to FIFA at the moment I think there are other priorities, and that's really in terms of cleaning up the organisation. My only concern is that if you do do an expansion it has to be really well thought out. We do have trouble, when it comes to World Cup qualifiers, in particular the half slot where continents have to play a half slot with other continents and so on. So there can be room for an increase, having said that one has to be very very careful, and the way I see it to shoot to 48 teams, but at the end of the day it is a World Cup final. My only concern is about political and pleasing people rather than what's actually best for the game." PRINCE ALI (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEIN SAYING: "I do believe that it is definitely the wrong decision. Obviously the anti-racism task force was not even given the tools that it should have been given in order to combat this phenomenon, whether it's racism or discrimination in any way, shape or form, but having said that it should be part of the system and a really affective part of FIFA. And they need to move not just with slogans but also into communities, into schools, work with governments, work with NGO's and all stakeholders to combat this phenomenon." INTERVIEW
- Embargoed: 8th November 2016 11:18
- Keywords: FIFA infantino Prince Ali Jordan
- Location: AMMAN, JORDAN
- City: AMMAN, JORDAN
- Country: Jordan
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00155D6CZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Former FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan is concerned about the pace of reform in world soccer's governing body and says new president Gianni Infantino has "no time to lose" in bringing transparency to the organisation.
Infantino was elected in February with the task of leading FIFA into calmer waters after a series of corruption scandals plunged the governing body into its worst crisis.
Prince Ali told Reuters in an interview that Infantino should focus on implementing reforms rather than issues such as proposals to expand the World Cup.
"Everybody's looking at FIFA and the direction it's going, again it's a critical time, there's no time to lose," he told Reuters in Jordan, which is currently hosting the Women's Under-17 World Cup.
The tournament is the first FIFA organised female World Cup in the Middle East and is considered a significant milestone for women in the region, long constrained by cultural and religious conservatism.
Soccer's global governing body is attempting to recover from the worst graft scandal in its history which has seen 42 people, including former FIFA executive committee members, indicted in the United States since May last year.
Criminal investigations are also under way in Switzerland, where FIFA has its headquarters.
An investigation was also opened into FIFA's decision to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar, a small, wealthy desert country with no real soccer tradition.
Prince Ali said that as someone who had "stuck to my guns in terms of really supporting football and having a clean organisation", he knew how urgent it was to speed up investigations and tackle improper business practices.
"You need to have a real clean FIFA to be able to trickle down to our national associations," said Prince Ali, highlighting ongoing problems such as match-fixing.
"The reality is putting aside the big ideas, like an increase in the World Cup, the real issue is the organisation itself and cleaning it up. For me I wish it would be more streamlined, more open, and that's what I'm hoping will take place," he added.
Prince Ali said the proposal to enlarge the World Cup could backfire if not properly planned out, citing problems that faced in Brazil and South Africa.
"When it comes to FIFA at the moment I think there are other priorities... my only concern is about political and pleasing people rather than what's actually best for the game," he said.
There are concerns that enlarging the World Cup beyond the current 32 teams would make tournaments less manageable and result in a drop in quality.
Prince Ali again criticised FIFA's decision to dissolve its anti-racism task force.
FIFA wrote to members in September to say it was disbanding the task force set up by then boss Sepp Blatter in 2013, and declaring that it had "completely fulfilled its temporary mission".
"I do believe that it is definitely the wrong decision. Obviously the anti-racism task force was not even given the tools that it should have been given in order to combat this phenomenon, whether it's racism or discrimination in any way, shape or form, but having said that it should be part of the system and a really affective part of FIFA. And they need to move not just with slogans but also into communities, into schools, work with governments, work with NGO's and all stakeholders to combat this phenomenon." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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