Fifa president Sepp Blatter yesterday welcomed the challenge to his position by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein — suggesting there would be no glory in winning without a proper fight.

Ali, a Fifa vice-president, is the first credible challenger to emerge against Blatter and is likely to be embraced by reformers in the football world, including England.

Blatter told Swiss newspaper Le Matin: “I can only rejoice in this nomination. We are a democracy, and this can only be beneficial for debate.”

He went on to quote a French proverb: “And do not they say that to win without peril is to triumph without glory?”

Blatter is standing for a fifth term as Fifa president but has been elected unopposed since 2002.

He is the strong favourite to retain his position as Ali will find it hard to win the majority of national associations even within his own Asian confederation, whose president has already pledged allegiance to Blatter.

Nominations close at the end of January and the only other person to have come forward, French former Fifa official Jerome Champagne.