Quick Facts
Biography
Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan (Arabic: الأمير علي بن الحسين; born 23 December 1975) is the third son of King Hussein, and the second child of the king by his third wife, Queen Alia. He is also the half brother of King Abdullah II. He is a member of the Hashemite family, which has ruled Jordan since 1921 and claims to be descended from the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
In September 2015, Prince Ali announced his candidacy in the FIFA presidential election following Sepp Blatter's resignation.
Early Life & Education
Ali spent his summers in 1984-1986 at Camp Agawam in Raymond, Maine.
Prince Ali began his primary education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman. He continued his studies in the United Kingdom, the United States and graduated from Salisbury School in Connecticut in 1993, where he excelled in wrestling.
He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. Ali was commissioned as an officer in December 1994 and was awarded the Brunei Medal for serving in Brunei. Before continuing his studies in the United States, he served in the Jordanian Special Forces as a pathfinder, earning his military freefall parachute wings. He completed his undergraduate education at Princeton University in 1999.
Prince Ali is fluent in Arabic, English, and Circassian.
In 1998 Prince Ali went on a publicized horseback journey to the Caucasus (Circassia), from Jordan through Syria and Turkey, to raise awareness of the Circassian diaspora worldwide. The trip traced (in reverse) the path of the exodus that brought the Circassians to Jordan.
Career
In 1999, Prince Ali was asked to serve as commander of King Abdullah II′s Special Security in the Royal Guards. He served in that capacity until 28 January 2008, when the king entrusted Prince Ali with establishing and directing the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management. He is also the chairman of Jordan's Royal Film Commission.
Football
Prince Ali is president of the Jordan Football Association. He is also the founder and president of the West Asian Football Federation, and under his presidency the membership has increased to 13 countries.
Prince Ali announced his candidacy for FIFA President, representing Asia, on 7 October 2010. Ali's campaign focused on change, football ideals, and uniting and raising the profile of Asian countries, within FIFA and generally. Prince Ali won the election for the position of FIFA vice president, representing Asia (25 votes to 20 for his opponent Dr Chung Mong-joon) at the AFC Congress in Doha, Qatar, on 6 January 2011. As FIFA vice president, Prince Ali served as a member of both the FIFA Executive Committee and the AFC Executive Committee.
Prince Ali successfully championed the lifting of FIFA's ban on the hijab in women's football.
Ali was one of a number of FIFA officials to call for the publication of the Garcia Report into allegations of corruption surrounding Russia and Qatar's bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
FIFA presidential campaigns
Ali lost the 2015 FIFA Presidency election to Sepp Blatter after resigning before second round voting took place. Blatter secured 60 more votes than Ali in the first round of voting, shy of the two thirds majority required to win in the first round, though with only a simple majority required in subsequent rounds Ali's defeat appeared to be inevitable.
However, following Blatter's announcement in June 2015 that he would resign from the post of FIFA president amid the ongoing corruption scandal, Ali announced in September 2015 that he would run for FIFA president again in the 2016 special election. Ali finished third in the first round behind Gianni Infantino and Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, polling 27 votes. In the second round, Ali again finished third behind the aforementioned duo, garnering a greatly reduced total of 4 votes.
Marriage and children
On 23 April 2004 Prince Ali married Algerian-born Rym Brahimi, a former CNN journalist and daughter of the Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, a former United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan. The marriage was publicly celebrated on 7 September 2004.
They have two children:
- Princess Jalila bint Ali (born 16 September 2005)
- Prince Abdullah bin Ali (born 19 March 2007)
Grades and honours
Military grades
Prince Ali holds the rank of brigadier in the Jordanian Armed Forces.
Jordanian honours
Prince Ali holds the :
- Grand Cordon of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali
- Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Al Nahda)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan (formerly Grand Officer)
- King Hussein Medal of Excellence
- Medal for Administrative and Leadership Competence
- Medal for Training Competence
Foreign honours
Prince Ali holds following foreign decorations:
- France: Knight of the Légion d'honneur, by presidential decree
- Japan: Knight of the Order of the Rising Sun, by imperial decree
- Sweden: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (7 October 2003), by royal decree
- United Kingdom: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, by royal decree
- Denmark : Gran Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (27 April 1998), by royal decree
- Norway : Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (4 April 2000), by royal decree
- Spain : Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, by royal decree
Ancestry
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