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Van Praag withdraws candidacy to become FIFA president

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Dutchman Michael van Praag has pulled himself out of the race to become the next president of the World football governing body FIFA, the Dutch football association KNVB stated in a press release on Thursday.

"Michael van Praag has, after extensive consultations with various parties and stakeholders, decided to join next FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Al Hussein," the KNVB declared on its website.

In January this year the 67-year-old Van Praag announced his candidacy to succeed current president Sepp Blatter as president of the international football federation. Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, vice President of FIFA for Asia since 2011 and former Portugese soccer star Luis Figo were the other candidates, besides Blatter.

In the past months Van Praag was not able to get much support among the 209 member nations of FIFA and therefor he decided to join Ali Al Hussein in an attempt to get a new FIFA president. Figo so far did not join the team of the Prince of Jordan.

The elections are due to take place at the 65th FIFA congress in Zurich, which starts on May 29. Blatter has been president of FIFA since 1998, when he succeeded the Brazilian Joao Havelange, and he is favorite to get a majority vote at these elections again.

Van Praag, the son of former Ajax chairman Jaap van Praag, was chairman of Ajax from 1989 until mid-2003. He became president of the KNVB in 2008 and is a member of the Executive Committee of European football association UEFA since 2009. Endi