Prince Ali of jordan to challenge Sepp Blatter for Fifa presidency

Fifa vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein will challenge incumbent Sepp Blatter for the leadership of world football's governing body.

The Jordanian Prince, 39, will stand as a candidate at Fifa's presidential election on 29 May, where Blatter, 78, will seek a fifth term of office.

Prince Ali said: "It is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport.

"The headlines should be about football, not about Fifa."

Who is Prince Ali?
The son of the late King Hussein and the late Queen Alia, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977, he attended Sandhurst military academy before joining his country's armed forces. He is the brother-in-law of leading racehorse owner Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai. Prince Ali successfully championed the lifting of Fifa's ban on the hijab in women's football.

Prince Ali, president of Jordanian football since 1999, said he had been encouraged to stand by colleagues.

"The message I heard, over and over, was that it is time for a change," the Asian Football Confederation's vice-president said.

"The world game deserves a world-class governing body - an international federation that is a service organisation and a model of ethics, transparency and good governance