Prince Feisal claims "old-school" officials need to change to ensure transparency

Prince Feisal Al Hussein believes old-school officials are holding back progress in some International Federations ©Generations For Peace

Prince Feisal Al Hussein has claimed it is the responsibility of International Federations to improve the transparency of their organisations, but he believes several are lagging behind due to “old-school” officials.

The Jordan Olympic Committee President was speaking during a conference call about Generations For Peace's Advanced Training programme, as the organisation's founder and chairman, where he reflected upon scandals affecting both football’s world governing body FIFA and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Both FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini are currently serving 90-day suspensions while a probe takes place into a payment of CHF 2 million (£1.3 million/$2.1 million/€1.8 million) the former paid to the Frenchman.

The pair both deny any wrongdoing but with several key officials from the organisation having already received bans from FIFA’s Ethics Committee as a result of investigations into corruption, the governing body’s reputation has endured significant damage.

Meanwhile, French police are currently investigating former IAAF President Lamine Diack over allegations he took bribes to cover up positive drugs tests involving Russian athletes during his tenure, while there have been calls for his role in the awarding of the 2021 World Athletics Championships to Eugene to be examined.

Prince Feisal, an International Olympic Committee member, has claimed that it is “unfair” for all Federations to have their reputations suffer as a consequence of scandals in other governing bodies.

“We would like to see better governance and mechanisms for sports in general,” he said.

“Sometimes it is unfair, we at the IOC went for Agenda 2020 last year and I think everyone is working at different paces, there are some Federations that I think are very well led and to brush everyone into the same category is unfortunate.

Prince Feisal Al Hussein believes his brother Prince Ali could help to transform FIFA if elected President ©Getty Images

“It is up to the individual Federations to put processes into place and we would love to see a transformation occur.

“But I think there are some people who are very old-school and have not evaluated their processes and procedures to have that transparency and accountability.”

The scandal at the IAAF has also seen Sebastian Coe, who replaced Diack as President at August's IAAF Congress in Beijing, face criticism for his role as an ambassador for Nike, which he has since relinquished.

Prince Feisal believes that his brother Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, one of five candidates for the FIFA Presidency, could help to transform the organisation if elected at their Extraordinary Elective Congress in Zurich on February 26.

“My brothers and I had a great teacher in our father, King Hussein,” he said.

"We all embody his values and his commitments.

“[Prince Ali] is a capable person who could help that transformation and he is passionate about his work and committed to making a difference.”

Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Jérôme Champagne of France, Gianni Infantino of Switzerland and South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale are rivaling Prince Ali for the FIFA Presidency.