FIFA presidential contender Prince Ali bin al Hussein said Friday he was "fully confident" of winning the corruption-plagued organisation's leadership ballot next month, provided the vote is clean. The Jordanian crown prince, one of five candidates seeking to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter, said the February 26 election represented FIFA's one chance to restore football's tarnished reputation.
He called for a more transparent world governing body, reiterating his criticism of a development deal between the Asian and African confederations that he sees as creating a voting bloc for one of his rivals. "It's very obvious with the timing that, for whatever reason, it's wrong to be making these sorts of deals," he told reporters in Auckland. However, Prince Ali said his campaign was still gaining momentum as he criss-crosses the globe shoring up support. He secured votes from 73 of FIFA's 209 member associations during a failed attempt to topple Blatter last year and said his numbers had since improved. "I can tell you from my side that I'm fully confident I will win this if things are conducted properly," he said.