Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, one of five contenders to lead the soccer world governing body FIFA, has been courting Chinese support for his February election bid, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Prince Ali, who is the FIFA vice president for Asia, indicated support for China hosting the World Cup and for setting up an Asian regional headquarters for soccer's governing body.

The Prince said he visited China as part of a tour to solicit opinions from soccer associations ahead of the election. He said he had made no deals with China concerning the World Cup, but did say he hoped to have the country's support.

"I wish them the best, and, if I am elected, obviously I’ll be a big supporter of Chinese football," he is quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal. "Personally, I hope one day that China does host a World Cup. For example, we’ve seen what a wonderful thing they’ve done with the Olympics. So I think there could be such great potential for that."

Source: Wall Street Journal

Proofread by John Devlin