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FA & SFA want Fifa election delay
2011-05-31 13:52:51
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// David Bond's latest blog''Discussions are going to happen in the next 24 hours and that [calling for the election to be postponed] will be a topic of conversation,'' Jonathan Ford, the FA of Wales chief executive, told BBC Wales.
The English FA recently chose to abstain from voting following allegations of corruption against world football's governing body.
And FA president Prince William has backed the calls for the election to be delayed.
A St James's Palace spokesperson told BBC Sport: "The Duke of Cambridge, as President, has been kept informed of the FA's proposals and is fully supportive of the Chairman and the initiatives the FA has recommended.
"He considers the transparency of the international governing body to be integral to the good governance of the game."
FA chairman David Bernstein said in a statement: "On 19 May, 2011 the Football Association announced it would be abstaining in the forthcoming election for the Fifa presidency.
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//Uncomfortable moments as Fifa president Sepp Blatter answers questions from the media on Monday
require( { baseUrl: "http://static.bbci.co.uk/sport/ui/1.1.12/js/desktop/" }, ["empswitch"], function(empswitch) { empswitch.init(); } );Following question marks being raised over the legitimacy of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes, the Fifa presidential election race has been tarnished by further claims of wrongdoings.
Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Federation, and Fifa vice-president Jack Warner have been provisionally suspended by Fifa's ethics committee over allegations that financial incentives were offered to Caribbean Football Union members.
Blatter was also investigated following a charge against him by Bin Hammam, although Fifa's ethics committee did not find the president had a case to answer.
Bin Hammam has appealed against his ban , while Warner revealed an e-mail in which Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke suggested Bin Hammam "bought" the 2022 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar.
Valcke responded by saying his remarks were taken out of context before the latest twist to the turmoil surrounding Fifa resulted in major sponsors Coca-Cola, Adidas, Emirates and Visa expressing their concern at the damage being done to Fifa by the alleged claims of corruption.
Meanwhile, anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International backed calls for an independent body to delve into the goings on within Fifa.
"Free and fair elections cannot take place when there is a suspicion that voters may have been swayed," Sylvia Schenk, senior advisor on sport to TI, said in a statement.
"Fifa delegates know that they must clean house if their vote is to have legitimacy."
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