Sepp Blatter will not go unchallenged when he comes up for election as FIFA president on May 29, as Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has thrown his hat into the ring for the position of FIFA president.
Declaring "it is time for a change," the current FIFA vice-president and head of the Jordanian and West Asian Football Federations announced he will throw down the gauntlet to incumbent Blatter for the leadership of football's world governing body. If successful, he would be only the second FIFA chief from outside Europe, and the first ever from the Middle East.
The 39-year-old was elected FIFA vice-president for Asia in 2011, and aims to prevent the 79-year-old Blatter from winning a fifth term in office. During Blatter's 17-year leadership, FIFA has been rocked by bribery allegations in presidential and World Cup hosting elections, kickbacks paid to senior officials and World Cup ticket scams.
FIFA's image sank further last month when ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia resigned with a parting shot at Blatter's leadership style and the organization's seeming unwillingness to reform itself.