Qatar should have bid for the 2022 World Cup on the understanding it would be hosted in the winter and throughout the Gulf, according to FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan.
Prince Ali has said he supports the 2022 tournament being held in Qatar despite the controversy surrounding its selection by FIFA, but said the country should have bid on a different basis.
Speaking at The Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Prince Ali said: "With World Cups you should have the ability to spread it around the region. Qatar should have bid for the winter in the first place and that it hosts it regionally with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which would be more feasible and easier to organise."
Prince Ali -- who confirmed on Wednesday that he will run for FIFA president again, less than four months after losing to Sepp Blatter in the previous election.
The prince has called for true democracy in FIFA and he insisted that his position did not clash with the situation involving the government in his country Jordan. According to the U.S. government agency USAID last month, in Jordan "challenges remain regarding political participation, freedom of the press, the status of women, and the role of civil society."
Ali responded by saying Jordan had set an example to the whole Middle East, adding: "We do have a democracy, an elected parliament and we are going through our process."
Ali also reiterated his belief that the FIFA leadership including outgoing president Blatter must have known about the malpractices that were taking place inside the organisation in the years leading up to the corruption crisis that erupted in May when 18 people were indicted by the U.S. justice department.
Blatter has denied any personal wrongdoing.
Ali added: "There's an issue because the leadership must have known about the issues going on within the organisation.
"I think that that's a definite. If things were going on they must have known. This is not to say the leadership were to blame but they must have known things were going on which were not right and not correct."
Prince Ali is running against UEFA president Michel Platini and South Korea's Chung Mong-joon in the election on Feb. 26.