Sports minister Shona Robison calls for Fifa to postpone presidential election

STV

Scottish sports minister Shona Robison has backed calls from the Scottish Football Association for Fifa to postpone its presidential election following allegations of corruption at the governing body.

Fifa has been rocked by allegations levelled at the top echelons of their administration, with several major sponsors voicing their displeasure at recent events.

On Tuesday the SFA seconded calls from the Football Association in England for the postponement of Wednesday's presedential poll.

Ms Robison said: "The allegations raised are very concerning for the future reputation of the global game, and we will closely follow developments.

"I support the SFA in their call for better governance, more transparency and accountability within Fifa.

"To achieve this requires postponement of the election of president; the need for an independent review into the allegations of corruption; that a plan be put forward to improve governance of world football to help rebuild confidence of members."

Last weekend, Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam pulled out of the race to be president of Fifa against incumbent Sepp Blatter, hours before he was provisionally banned from all football-related activities on bribery charges.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke then confirmed he sent an email suggesting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was "bought" - but later insisted he was referring to Qatar using their "financial strength" to legitimately lobby for votes.

At a news conference on Monday, Blatter admitted Fifa faced "difficulties" but insisted there was no crisis. He stated: "Crisis? What is a crisis? Football is not in a crisis."

On Tuesday afternoon, Stewart Regan, the chief executive of the SFA, said: "The Scottish FA can today confirm its position that the Fifa presidential election be postponed in light of recent uncertainty.

"We believe the election should be rescheduled to facilitate a period of consultation to deal with the issues that have arisen in recent weeks. The events of the last two days, in particular, have made any election unworkable.

"The integrity and reputation of the game across the world is paramount and the Scottish FA urges Fifa to reconsider its intentions, and calls on other member associations to consider the long-term implications for the game's image."

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