In the strongest statement yet on human rights ahead of the FIFA Coins Feb. 26 election to succeed Sepp Blatter, the Jordanian prince dismissed the sheikh's consistent defense that national security issues are beyond the control of sports leaders."How are you then going to earn the respect of the entire world and players across the world, as well as FAs (football associations), if you couldn't even take care of your own?"
Prince Ali told reporters on Thursday after a news conference near the United Nations office in Geneva. Prince Ali Al Hussein, of Jordan, FIFA presidential candidate, speaks during a news conference at the Swiss Press Club in Geneva, Switzerland , Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
Sheikh Salman has become front-runner in a FIFA campaign he began by strongly denying any part in helping to identify athletes who took part in Arab Spring protests five years ago.Some Bahrain team players alleged they were tortured by government forces while detained for attending pro-democracy events.Sheikh Salman was then president of the Bahrain Football Association, and has often said government issues are not the duty of sports leaders."
Whatever is related to the political side and government side is not a concern of mine," the sheikh told the Associated Press in an interview in Paris on Tuesday. "We are people of football. They can ask me anything that is related to the game."Prince Ali rejected that argument Thursday, two weeks ahead of the five-man election."If a candidate was in a position before and simply says that, 'Those issues are to do with politics and therefore I cannot interfere?' No," the prince told a small group of reporters. "