Jordan's Prince Ali announces new candidacy for FIFA presidency

On Wednesday evening at a packed Roman ampitheatre in Jordan's capital, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan confirmed rumours that he would stand as president of FIFA, the global governing body for the sport of football.

"With me are my brothers and sisters of Jordan, the heart of the Arab world and the crossroads of continents, religions, cultures and civilisations," Prince Ali told the crowd.

"I stand here in this ancient place in the timeless heart of Amman to once again launch my candidacy for the presidency of FIFA," he said. "I want to finish what we started... We must take back the game we love."

On 7 September, the Jordanian royal dropped hints that he would for run in the elections, due to be held in February 2016.

"If the election is done correctly, cleanly and properly, I believe I can win," he told the SoccerEx conference in Manchester on Monday.

Prince Ali has called for sweeping reforms of football's governing body and clean up FIFA.

During the speech, he said he wanted to serve the underserved, fight racism, develop grassroots football and promote women's football.

Campaign trail

In May's elections to head football's governing body, Prince Ali was left as the sole challenger to outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter after other challengers pulled out of the race.

Blatter dodged criticism about allegations of corruption throughout the campaign.

However Blatter won the controversial election after Prince Ali withdrew his candidacy in the second round of voting.

Soon after the election, Blatter came under renewed fire from critics following a slew of new corruption charges and arrests of senior FIFA figures.

The Swiss football giant said he would step down from his post, opening the way for second-place Prince Ali to make a bid for football's top job.

"I conceded that election, not because I was not the best candidate, but because others were using me to make room for themselves," Ali said in Amman on Wednesday night.

"They didn't have the guts to run, but I did. Ever since President Blatter promised his resignation just a few days later, they have been scrambling to secure the job for themselves." 

During his 15-year career in the sport, Prince Ali has campaigned for development, transparency and good governance.

"It is a game that transcends class, creed and national boundaries," Ali said during his speech. "My ambition now is to make FIFA worthy of representing the greatest sport and the greatest fans on the planet."

During the build-up to Prince Ali's announcement speech, supporters took to Twitter to express their excitement about next year's election.