Prince Ali calls for FIFA leadership vote to be brought into the open

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, has called on FIFA to abolish secret ballots in elections for its president, saying football’s governing body faces a clear leadership crisis.

The proposal comes after widespread criticism of FIFA and its Swiss president Gianni Infantino over a controversial plan to sell a share of the rights to the World Cup to private investment funds.

UEFA reacted by deciding to boycott FIFA competitions, although FIFA later stepped back from pursuing the disputed project.

Writing on X, Prince Ali said: “With all the controversy surrounding FIFA, world football is facing a clear leadership crisis, and this is happening before the next election.”

He added: “As someone who has been through this process before, I believe there is one step that must be taken immediately: abolishing the secret ballot in FIFA presidential elections.”

Prince Ali has stood for the FIFA presidency on more than one occasion.

He argued that decisions across the sport are now generally made publicly, with one notable exception.

“All other decisions, including the selection of the host country for the World Cup, are now taken openly, except for the presidential election, of course,” he said.

FIFA has a president elected every four years, while its council is responsible for taking all decisions, according to Prince Ali. He believes an open vote is necessary to ensure member association presidents can be held accountable by supporters in their own countries, as well as by the officials and players who elected them.

“With a president we elect every four years, and a council that takes all decisions, an open vote is the only way to hold us, the presidents of the member associations, accountable to the football fans in our countries, as well as the officials and players who elected us,” he said.

Prince Ali also said abandoning the secret ballot would protect member associations from pressure or coercion behind closed doors.

“At the same time, this system provides protection for every member association that may be pressured into making a decision under duress behind closed doors, as has happened in the past,” he added.

He said the importance of reform extended beyond the next election, because the vote would determine the direction of the world’s most popular sport.

“Most importantly, it will give every member association the ability to influence the most important vote we ever take: choosing the leadership of the biggest and most popular sport in the world, and determining the path it will take in the future,” Prince Ali said.

His intervention follows a period of heightened scrutiny of FIFA after the organisation’s proposal concerning World Cup commercial rights prompted a strong reaction from UEFA. The European governing body announced a boycott of FIFA competitions before FIFA withdrew from moving ahead with the controversial plan.