The Liberal Democratic Party is calling on the Football Association (FA) and UEFA to withdraw from FIFA following the controversial World Cup. English football’s governing body accused the world federation of “destroying the integrity of the beautiful game”.
This year’s World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has been mired in controversy, from interference from Donald Trump to strict immigration policies, exorbitant ticket prices, rule changes and officiating disputes. Fans from countries such as Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast were barred from entering the United States due to strict visa policies, while the Iranian team was subject to strict travel rules allowing entry within 24 hours.
Head umpire Omar Artan, from Somalia, was also denied entry to the United States to host the tournament. Meanwhile, USA striker Folarin Balogun was handed an automatic suspension for being given a straight red card after President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
FIFA has also been accused of soaring ticket prices based on its dynamic pricing system. There was also dissatisfaction with the introduction of hydration breaks, which are expected to generate up to £189m in additional advertising revenue.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for the dissolution of FIFA, which currently has 211 full members, including the football federation. He called on football associations around the world to come together to build a “clean” and “transparent” governing body.
He wrote in X: “FIFA’s corruption has gone too far. Under Infantino, political greed has completely destroyed the game we love. We can no longer sit on the sidelines. The FA and our European partners need to step aside and build a fair and clean alternative from the ground up. It’s time to move forward.”
Sir Ed added that Infantino had “crossed one line after another” and accused the FIFA president of exploiting fans. He said the governing bodies were “destroying the integrity of the beautiful game”.
Liberal Democratic Party culture, media and sport spokeswoman Anna Sabine said: “By rubber-stamping a fourth term despite these damaging scandals, football’s governing body shows that it is content with a rotten and squalid environment rather than striving for better things.”
“Fans deserve transparency and honesty, and we shouldn’t allow another four years of unchecked nepotism.”
