Football Federation Australia (FFA) and UEFA have announced they will back Prince Ali of Jordan in Friday’s FIFA presidential elections, should they go ahead.
FFA chairman Frank Lowy, who is in Switzerland to attend the 2015 FIFA Congress, said that his organisation believes change in FIFA is now necessary.
“FFA believes that profound change within FIFA is needed as soon as possible to address issues of governance and transparency,” Mr Lowy said.
“This belief will be reflected when Australia casts its vote in the presidential election, should it proceed on Friday in Zurich.”
“The board of FFA has reviewed the manifesto for change proposed by Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein and believes it provides the basis for a fresh start for FIFA.”
The move comes after the dramatic arrests of key FIFA executives in Zurich on Wednesday and puts more pressure on the tenure of incumbent president Sepp Blatter.
It is a bold withdrawal of support by FFA after the Asian Football Confederation publicly reaffirmed its support for Blatter.
Meanwhile, UEFA president Michel Platini has confirmed that European nations have been encouraged to back the Jordanian challenger in a news conference on Thursday, and conceded UEFA could withdraw from FIFA if Blatter is re-elected.
“We are encouraging nations in Europe to vote for Ali bin Al-Hussein,” Platini said.
“Change in president is the only way FIFA can change in the future.
If Blatter wins, UEFA will meet in Berlin to discuss the future of our relations with FIFA.”
The support of the majority of UEFA nations would likely mean a closer fought election than first thought, after it was widely accepted Blatter would win another term in office with ease despite this week’s events.
Platini also confirmed he asked Blatter to stand down, but refused.
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