Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, lone challenger to Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency at Congress on Friday, refrained from formal comment about the latest crisis to swamp the world football federation.

The Jordanian’s campaign had insisted on the need for a new broom to bring transparency and new rigour to the governance of the world game after the scandal-scarred years under Blatter.

Prince Ali issued on a holding statement after the police raids and US declarations, saying: “Today is a sad day for football.”

He added: “We cannot continue with the crisis in FIFA, a crisis that has been ongoing and is not just relevant to the events of today.

“FIFA needs leadership that governs, guides and protects our national associations. Leadership that accepts responsibility for its actions and does not pass blame.  Leadership that restores confidence in the hundreds of millions of football fans around the world.”

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