UEFA calls for postponement of FIFA congress and election

After a meeting in Warsaw, Poland, the European Football Federation, UEFA, called for a postponement of the FIFA congress and presidential election due to take place on Friday 29 May. If this call is not adhered to, UEFA threatens to stay away from the meeting.

The call follows on yesterday’s events when seven FIFA top officials were arrested in an extensive investigation into corruption in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL led by the US Justice Department.

Under the headline 'UEFA shows this FIFA a red card', UEFA deplored the events, which show “that corruption is deeply rooted in FIFA's culture,” said the UEFA statement.

”The upcoming FIFA Congress risks to turn into a farce and therefore the European associations will have to consider carefully if they should even attend this Congress and caution a system, which, if it is not stopped, will ultimately kill football,“ the statement continued.

“[T]he members of the UEFA Executive Committee are convinced that there is a strong need for a change to the leadership of this FIFA and strongly believe that the FIFA Congress should be postponed, with new FIFA presidential elections to be organised within the next six months.”

The executive committee members of UEFA will meet later today and decide which steps to take.