The Liberal Democrats are calling for the Football Association (FA) and UEFA to withdraw from FIFA after a controversial World Cup. The governing body of English football has accused the global federation of “destroying the integrity of the beautiful game”.
This year’s World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, has been dominated by controversies ranging from interference from Donald Trump, strict immigration policies, extortionate ticket prices, rule changes and refereeing disputes. Fans from countries including Haiti, Iran, Senegal and the Ivory Coast were unable to enter the USA due to strict visa policies, while the Iranian team were put under tight travel rules that allowed them to enter the country for 24-hour periods.
Referee Omar Artan, from Somalia, was also denied entry to the USA to officiate the tournament. Meanwhile, USA striker Folarin Balogun had his automatic ban for being given a straight red card suspended after Trump phoned FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
FIFA has also been slammed for sky-high ticket prices under its dynamic pricing system. There has also been frustration over the introduction of hydration breaks, which are expected to generate up to £189 million in additional advertising revenue.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has now called for FIFA, which has 211 full members including the FA, to be dissolved. He is calling on football associations from around the world to come together to build a “clean” and “transparent” governing body.
He wrote on X: “The rot at FIFA has gone too far. Under Infantino, political greed has completely broken the game we love. We can’t just watch from the sidelines anymore; the FA and our European partners need to walk away and build a fair, clean alternative from scratch. It’s time to move on.”
Sir Ed added that Infantino has “crossed red line after red line” and accused the FIFA President of exploiting fans. He said the governing body is “destroying the integrity of the beautiful game.”
Anna Sabine MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “By rubber-stamping a fourth term despite these toxic scandals, football’s governing bodies are showing they are content to sit in rotten squalor rather than strive for something better.
“Fans deserve transparency and integrity, not another four years of unchecked cronyism.”