Prince Ali the best man to lead FIFA - Peter Velappan

The Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali Al Hussein will be the best man to take over as the International Football Federation (FIFA) president.

Former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general, Datuk Peter Velappan said this was the right time and best opportunity for an Asian to lead the world governing body for football for the first time ever in world football history.

"Since president Sepp Blatter and president elect Michel Platini are out, I personally think the next FIFA President should be a candidate from outside Europe...an Asian. But unfortunately, there are two candidates from Asia – Prince Ali and AFC president Sheikh Salman Ebrahim al-Khalifa – and this will split the votes.

"For me, Prince Ali is the most suitable one because he is highly educated, from a royal family, has a very high integrity and able to do work. So, I would like to see him to take over the leadership," he told Bernama.

Blatter and Platini who is the Vice-President and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) President were banned for eight years by the FIFA Ethics Committee on Monday for abuse of power in a USD2 million (about RM8.6 million) scandal.

FIFA on Monday through a statement said the payment transferred by Blatter as the president in February 2011 from FIFA to Platini had no legal basis in the written agreement signed between both officials on Aug 25, 1999.

"Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment. His assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber," the statement said.

The fight for the top post of the world football governing body at its special congress on Feb 26 is expected to be between Prince Ali, former FIFA secretary-general Jerome Champagne, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Salman and South Africa's Anti-apartheid campaigner, Tokyo Sexwale.

However, Sexwale is being questioned by the United States (US) grand jury as potential witness in the US$10 million (RM43 million) alleged corrupt payment from South Africa to former FIFA vice president Jack Warner to host the 2010 World Cup.

Sexwale was the member of the bid committee board that successfully campaigned and won the bid.

According to Velappan, the South African would not be the main contender for Prince Ali in the elections but rather Infantino who would have great support from Europe, Africa and South America.

"Infantino, who is from UEFA has gained numerous contacts from Africa and South America through technical development programmes, MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) and so on...not a surprise if he could get more votes from Europeans, Africans and South Americans," he added.

If Prince Ali was given the mandate to take charge of the most powerful position in football from acting President Issa Hayatou, he will be the first Asian and second non-European to hold the federation's top post after Brazilian Joao Havelange who was in power for 24 years from 1974 to 1998.