US Soccer says it will vote against Sepp Blatter in Fifa election
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Version 0 of 1. On Wednesday, the United States started the crisis that has engulfed Fifa after the US attorney general announced fraud charges against current and former members of football’s governing body. On Thursday, US Soccer distanced itself from Sepp Blatter further when it confirmed it will not vote for him in Friday’s Fifa presidential elections. “US Soccer will vote for Prince Ali bin Al Hussein for next president of Fifa,” said US Soccer’s president, Sunil Gulati. “This is a vote for good governance and promise for our game.” Related: Defiant Sepp Blatter vows to fix Fifa as pressure mounts to resign The US lost out to Qatar for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, and has hopes of hosting the tournament in the future as it looks to continue the growth of football in America. While Gulati acknowledged a vote against Blatter could count against a future bid, with Blatter still retaining strong support among many of the Fifa’s 209 voters, he said he was comfortable with his decision. “Would I like to see the United States host a World Cup in the future?” Gulati said in the New York Times. “The answer is, of course, yes. But for me, and for US soccer, better governance and more integrity at Concacaf and Fifa are far more important than hosting any international soccer tournament.” The US will instead put its support behind Blatter’s sole rival for the Fifa presidency, Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein. Prince Ali claims he can rely on at least 60 votes outside the European nations, while the Uefa president, Michel Platini says he can deliver 45 from within Europe. Blatter would need a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting, or an overall majority in the following rounds. Blatter still has strong support in Africa and Asia, as well as allies in Russia and Spain. Blatter has rejected calls that he should resign over the corruption scandal. “I know many people hold me ultimately responsible for the actions and reputations of the global football community, whether it’s a decision for the hosting of a World Cup or a corruption scandal,” he said on Wednesday. “I cannot monitor everyone all of the time. If people want to do wrong, they will try to hide it. But it must fall to me to be ultimately responsible for the wellbeing of our organisation and find a way forward to fix things.” |