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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Politics
Christopher McKeon

Lib Dems urge FA and Uefa to quit Fifa over World Cup controversies

The Liberal Democrats accused Fifa of ‘exploiting’ fans through high ticket prices as they called for the FA and Uefa to leave the body (James Manning/PA) - (PA Wire)

The Liberal Democrats have called on the FA and other European football bodies to leave Fifa after a World Cup marred by off-field controversy.

Accusing Fifa of being “corrupt beyond repair”, the party criticised high ticket prices for fans and the decision to overturn a US player’s suspension after lobbying from President Donald Trump.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said Fifa boss Gianni Infantino had “crossed red line after red line”.

He said: “He has allowed the likes of Donald Trump to dictate on field decisions, whilst allowing corporate greed to exploit fans at will, destroying the integrity of the beautiful game.

“It is time for Uefa to step up and walk away from Fifa, and start working with other confederations to build a clean, transparent governing body that puts fans first.”

Uefa, the European football governing body, has already criticised Fifa for overturning US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban following his red card against Bosnia, after Mr Trump personally lobbied Mr Infantino.

Even before the tournament, Fifa had been attacked more widely for using so-called “dynamic pricing” in its ticket sales, with Mr Infantino claiming prices were in line with other US sporting events.

Fans have also objected to the introduction of “hydration breaks”, allowing broadcasters to generate extra advertising revenue.

Lib Dem culture, media and sport spokeswoman Anna Sabine said: “Football deserves far more than the cronyism, profiteering, and corruption currently served up by Fifa.

“Enough is enough.

“Ultimately, it is the fans, who are just trying to cheer on their team, who are seeing the rules of the game undermined and their wallets squeezed for all they are worth.”

The Lib Dems’ call also comes after the White House’s World Cup chief defended Argentinian players who unfurled a banner claiming ownership of the Falkland Islands after their victory over England on Wednesday.

Fifa’s rules prohibit the display of political messages during the World Cup, and Downing Street has urged the governing body to investigate.

But Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s Fifa taskforce, said on Friday night that the US constitution’s free speech protections meant the Argentina team had a right to “make those statements”.

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