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Canada will not support Blatter for FIFA presidency

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canada, which is hosting the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, will not support incumbent Sepp Blatter in Friday's presidential vote at the FIFA Congress, the head of the Canadian Soccer Association said on Thursday on his official Twitter account. Victor Montagliani said Canada will instead support the only other candidate, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan. "Our (Board of Directors) met and has made the decision of voting for Prince Bin Ali Hussein as we cannot support the current political leadership of FIFA," he tweeted. "We want to be front and center on ensuring that the reforms that happens in world football are done in a transparent way but quicker fashion." Blatter, who is standing for a fifth mandate as FIFA president, has flatly rejected calls to step down even as soccer's global governing body has been engulfed in the worst crisis of its 111-year history. Nine soccer officials and five sports media and promotions executives were hit on Wednesday by U.S. federal prosecutors with corruption charges allegedly involving more than $150 million in bribes. The first match of FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 will be on June 6 in Edmonton, Alberta, with the final in Vancouver on July 5. (Reporting by Julie Gordon; Editing by Robert Birsel)