{"id":118286,"date":"2015-05-22T07:07:16","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T07:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=118286"},"modified":"2015-05-22T07:07:16","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T07:07:16","slug":"figo-sepp-blatters-rival-pulls-out-of-fifa-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/figo-sepp-blatters-rival-pulls-out-of-fifa-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Figo: Sepp Blatter\u2019s rival pulls out of Fifa election"},"content":{"rendered":"
Luis Figo has joined Michael van Praag in withdrawing from the Fifa presidential election on 29 May. Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo, 42, pulled out on the same day as Van Pragg, 67, to leave Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan as Blatter\u2019s only rival.<\/p>\n
Blatter is favourite to win a fifth term as president and Figo said: \u201cThis process is anything but an election. \u201cThis process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man \u2013 something I refuse to go along with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each of Fifa\u2019s 209 member associations have a vote in the election and Van Praag, who is president of the Dutch football federation, says he will now support Prince Ali.<\/p>\n
The English Football Association also intend to support Prince Ali, while the Scottish FA had previously said they would back Van Praag.<\/p>\n
The Dutchman is expected to give his reasons from withdrawing from the election at a news conference at 19:00 BST but Figo made his reasons clear in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI travelled and met extraordinary people who, though they recognized the value of much that had been done, also concurred with the need for change, one that cleans up Fifa\u2019s reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n