FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin Al Hussein criticised the organisation’s “culture of intimidation” and challenged incumbent Sepp Blatter to a public debate as he kick-started his campaign on Tuesday.

The Jordanian royal dismissed concerns about a lack of support from within the Asian Football Confederation, whose president, Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, has pledged his support to Blatter.

Ali, FIFA vice-president for Asia, revealed that he had received nominations from the national associations of Belarus, Malta, England, Jordan, the United States and Georgia.

But although the Jordan Football Association, of which he is president, was the only Asian federation to support him, he said he was confident of attracting support from around the world. “Obviously there is a bit of a culture of intimidation — let me put it that way — within FIFA,” Ali told a press conference at a London hotel. “But having said that, this is a candidacy for the whole world. I do know also that there are confederations who have their own elections coming up in the next couple of months.”