An Arab Fifa chief could be a game-changer

Now is the time for Fifa to think out of the European box and look to Asia, the Middle East and Gulf for a corruption-free future. Candidates like Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan and Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa from Bahrain have emerged as worthy hopefuls, which is good for the game in the region. Qatar is set to host the 2020 World Cup, and it's important that football starts on a new turf, without tainted men like Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini at the helm.
Platini, the UEFA soccer chief who hoped to take over from Blatter, faces a tough test of integrity after being suspended along with the Swiss strongman for 90 days. The former French soccer star was dragged down by his suspicious cash transactions with Blatter. His bid now lies in ruins as he desperately tries to clear his name.
The Fifa ethics committee's decision to boot him out for three months followed a pending criminal probe by Swiss legal authorities who are tracking payments made by Blatter to Platini in 2011. This was for work carried out between 1998 and 2002. The sum in question totals $2.06 million and Platini is left with a lot of explaining to do. His arguments and pleas that he is innocent have not convinced Europe which is looking out for a new chief from among its ranks.
And it's not just Platini and Blatter who are under a cloud of corruption. Issa Hayatou of Cameroon, who replaced Blatter as Fifa's interim president last week, was hauled by the International Olympic Committee four years ago for his role in a bribery scandal.
UEFA's interim chief, Spaniard Angel Maria Villar, also faces accusations of accepting money during bidding contests. He is being investigated and his reign could be shortlived if found guilty by agencies.
So it's down to the Arab candidates, and Asian football chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, appears to have an edge over Prince Ali. Salman had initially backed Platini, but decided to stand himself when it emerged that Platini had scored a self goal.
The Bahraini royal pulled off a landslide win in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) elections two years ago to succeed disgraced Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam as president. This April, he consolidated his position and won a fresh four-year term, while also becoming a Fifa vice-president.
Shaikh Salman has Asian and Australian votes in his kitty, but it remains to be seen if he can swing other members his way. UEFA with 53 votes appears to be deserting Platini. Will it shift allegiance to Salman? Africa with 54 votes will be critical, so will the Americas with 45. It's down to the magical figure of 105 or more for a majority - Fifa has 209 members.
Of the eight elected presidents in the world football body's history, seven have been from Europe. That's why Salman and Prince Ali's emergence on the scene is significant and offers new hope to start on a clean slate. Fifa needs to break free from established power structures that have soiled the game.