AMMAN: Prince Ali’s bid to oust Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA has received intriguing new support in an unexpected place writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Leaders of both Bahrain and Brunei have expressed support for Prince Ali bin Al Hussein’s challenge to long-serving Blatter in the world federation’s leadership election in Zurich on May 29.

The significance of the approval conveyed by Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa is that this is home to Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa – who is president of the Asian Football Confederation and very definitely in the Blatter camp.

Prince Ali’s meeting with King Hamad also, to add to the intrigue, took place during his visit to Bahrain for an executive board meeting of the AFC [Sheikh Salman having effectively abandoned the official AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur].

The Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported that King Hamad as saying “his country stands with the prince in the May elections.” King Hamad also commended the “advanced” level of relations between Jordan and Bahrain, calling for further steps in mutual interest.

The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Hussein Majali.

Also in Bahrain, the prince met Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the brother of the Sultan of Brunei, who also voiced his country’s support for the FIFA presidency bid.

The two sides also discussed means to enhance Jordan-Brunei relations.

Election congress

Sheikh Salman is standing unopposed for a further term as Asian president in the AFC congress at the Gulf Convention Centre in Manama on April 30.

Other candidates are as follows:

FIFA Executive Committee members (3 positions; 2 – 2015-2019; 1 – 2013-2017):

Prince Abdullah Al-Haj Ibni Sultan Hj Ahmad Shah (Malaysia; Zone: ASEAN)

Dato’ Worawi Makudi (Thailand; Zone: ASEAN)

Mong Gyu Chung (Korea Republic; Zone: East)

Kohzo Tashima (Japan; Zone: East)

Saoud A Aziz M A Al Mohannadi (Qatar; Zone: West)

Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah (Kuwait; Zone: West)

Sayyid Khalid Hamed Hamood Al Busaidi (Oman; Zone: West)

Candidates for AFC Vice President (5 positions; one from each zone)

Winston Lee Boon Aun (Singapore; Zone: ASEAN)

Zhang Jilong (China; Zone: East)

Ali Kafashian Naeini (Iran; Zone: Central)

Saoud A. Aziz M A Al Mohannadi (Qatar; Zone: West)

Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (Pakistan; Zone: South)

Praful Manoharbhai Patel (India; Zone: South)

Candidates for AFC Female Executive Committee Member (5 positions; one from each zone)

Moya Dodd (Australia; Zone: ASEAN)

Han Un Gyong (DPR Korea; Zone: East)

Zohra Mehdi (Afghanistan; Zone: Central)

Susan R A Shalabi (Palestine; Zone: West)

Mahfuza Akhter Kiron (Bangladesh; Zone: South)

Candidates for AFC Executive Committee member (11 positions)

Zaw Zaw (Myanmar; Zone: ASEAN)

Viphet Sihachakr (Laos: Zone: ASEAN)

Francisco Kalbuadi Lay (Timor Leste; Zone: ASEAN)

Dr. Tran Quoc Tuan (Vietnam; Zone: ASEAN)

Mariano V. Araneta Jr. (Philippines; Zone: ASEAN)

Richard King Lai (Guam; Zone: East)

Mong Gyu Chung (Korea Republic; Zone: East)

Kohzo Tashima (Japan; Zone: East)

Sardor Rakhmatullaev (Uzbekistan; Zone: Central)

Hachem Sayed Ali Haidar (Lebanon; Zone: West)

HE Sayyid Khalid Hamed Hamood Al Busaidi (Oman; Zone: West)

HE Mohamed Khalfan Matar Saeed Al Romaithi (UAE; Zone: West)

Ahmed Eid Al Harbi (Saudi Arabia; Zone: West)

Warnakulasuriya Ranjith Rodrigo (Sri Lanka; Zone: South)

Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (Pakistan; Zone: South)

Mohamed Shaweed (Maldives; Zone: South)

UgenTsechup (Bhutan; Zone: South)

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