Football officials mistrust ‘secret’ Fifa vote: Volkskrant

football ballThe presidents of national football associations all over the world have serious doubts about the confidentiality of Friday’s vote for a new Fifa president, the Volkskrant reports.

The paper says officials in Africa, Asia, North America and central America fear repercussions in their own continents if they vote for Jordanian prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, rather than current incumbent Sepp Blatter.

The prince is the only challenger to Blatter after Dutch football association chief Michael van Praag pulled out to give him a clear run.

The Volkskrant bases its claims on interviews with dozens of football officials carried out over the past few months. One African official told the paper: ‘In Africa, everyone knows who voted for who within days.’

Another official said: ‘Past experience shows that there are no secrets within the world football body.’

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