Van Praag withdraws from FIFA presidential race

Michael van Praag has withdrawn from the race to become the next FIFA president and thrown his support behind Prince Ali bin Al Hussein.

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) president announced his intention to step aside on Thursday, having previously been one of four candidates for the elections.

Along with Luis Figo and Prince Ali, Van Praag has called for a change at the top of football’s world governing body – believing the time has come for current incumbent Sepp Blatter to end his tenure.

However, the 67-year-old has now chosen to give his support to Prince Ali in an attempt to try and oust Blatter.

A statement from Van Praag’s bid team read: “After thorough deliberation and reflection with different involved parties and stakeholders, Michael van Praag decided to withdraw his candidacy to become the next FIFA president and to join forces with presidential candidate Prince Ali Al Hussein.”

Van Praag is set to disclose his full reasoning later on Thursday in Amsterdam.