The world’s leading football nations must quit FIFA en masse after the World Cup and demand wholesale changes within the global game’s governing body before they consider returning.
That’s the verdict of Stan Collymore, who insists drastic measures are needed after all the issues we have seen in the past week and, indeed, in the 12 years since Qatar was awarded the tournament.
The former Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and England star turned Mirror Sport columnist said: “Once the tournament is over we really need to have a think about short-circuiting FIFA and the corruption and the juggernaut that it is. When you can see there is corruption within a government, then every four years you get an opportunity to vote them out.
“So why are we in a situation where Gianni Infantino has just been accepted as president for another four years without any challenger, how does that happen? Presidents should only be allowed to sit for one four-year period and the voting process for the role and for who gets to host World Cups needs to be absolutely transparent.
"When the World Cup is over, then, I’d love to hear the associations of England, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain and Italy say, ‘Right, that’s it, we’re boycotting FIFA until it gets its act together and introduces a proper, ethical standards charter it adheres to for giving out World Cups’.
“Because as much as FIFA say they administer the game, they only do it with the acquiescence of the elite nations and, let’s face it, a World Cup without at least five or six of those teams just wouldn’t have the same appeal.
"So if we had a charter that stated as non-negotiable such points as, ‘We believe people should be able to hold hands in the street or in stadiums if they are gay or straight without fear of recourse’, ‘We believe alcohol should be allowed to be consumed responsibly and in certain areas of the stadiums we are operating’, then everyone, including supporters and the bidding countries, would know where they stand from the off.
“Everybody’s religion, morals and values can still be respected but, this way, we will at least get back to things being predominantly about the football and less about geopolitics and sports-washing.
"What we have seen in the past week is that FIFA’s ethics, morals and values have gone out the window because they have sold the tournament to a country which doesn’t in some regards share the same ethics, morals and values as most of the nations at the World Cup.
“And that has happened because FIFA put the cart before the horse instead of the other way round. But by boycotting FIFA and by playing high-profile friendlies against each other instead, wearing whatever armbands they like, the big nations can make enough of a song and dance that they might just bring about some much-needed change.”
