It’s hard to argue with this after today’s events.
FIFA has been engulfed in any amount of scandals in recent history, but after the events of what has been quite a day today, the latest one might turn out to be the biggest yet.
Seven FIFA officials were amongst 14 people arrested in Zurich earlier this morning, where FIFA executives had gathered for the organisation’s annual meeting ahead of the presidential ‘election’ this Friday.
The arrests were made as a result of a three-year FBI investigation into corruption in the organisation, while a separate criminal investigation into the allocation of the 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar) World Cups has also begun.
As the farce rumbles on this evening, UEFA have issued a strongly-worded statement – which you can read in full below – in which they call for FIFA to be “rebooted” and “for a real reform to be carried out”.
Sepp Blatter, meanwhile, has also had his say and you can read his statement here.
We haven’t heard the last of this yet.
UEFA Statement
“Today’s events are a disaster for FIFA and tarnish the image of football as a whole.
“UEFA is deeply shocked and saddened by them.
“These events show, once again, that corruption is deeply rooted in FIFA’s culture.
“There is a need for the whole of FIFA to be “rebooted” and for a real reform to be carried out.
“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 UEFA member associations are meeting tomorrow ahead of the FIFA Congress. At that point, the European associations will decide on what further steps need to be taken to protect the game of football.
“In the meantime, the 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.”
