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Jordan’s Prince Ali wants to run for FIFA president again
Manchester: Despite losing to present incumbent Sepp Blatter in May, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan wants to contest for the post of FIFA president again.
Ali had lost the presidential election by a margin of 133-73 votes to Blatter who then announced that he would relinquish the position four days after FIFA was plunged into its worst crisis following the arrest of several of its officials two days before the election.
World football’s governing body will conduct fresh elections in February to find a successor to Blatter and Ali looks set to become one of the major candidates in the fray.
UEFA president Michel Platini of France and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) vice-president Chung Mong-joon of South Korea have already declared that they will contest the polls.
“I am talking to national associations and listening to their opinions. Right now we need a candidate who is forward thinking, with new ideas who is not tainted by the past as well. If the election is done correctly, cleanly and properly, I believe I can win,” Ali told the Soccerex conference in Manchester on Monday.
The 39-year-old asserted that Blatter was responsible for the corruption crisis in football and accused him of harming the interests of the game.
A total of 14 FIFA officials — including several former executive committee members — have been indicted by US authorities as part of a wide ranging investigation into bribery and financial wrongdoing.
“Blatter should have stepped down a while ago if he had the best interests of football,” Ali said.
The Jordanian also lashed out at Platini although the legendary French midfielder was one of his key supporters before the May elections.
“FIFA is in a crisis right now and we need a new beginning. Michel Platini’s introduction into football governance was as a protege of Sepp Blatter, that’s a reality,” he stated.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.