Britain’s new Fifa vice-president has said the Football Association needs to “build bridges” following the fall-out from its failed attempt to force a postponement of Fifa presidential election. The FA motion to delay the election was crushed, with Sepp Blatter re-elected unopposed at Congress in Zurich to serve another four years in spite of a series of allegations against Fifa executive committee members coming to light in recent weeks.Jim Boyce, the former president of the Irish Football Association, claims there is a perception within certain Fifa circles that the FA is arrogant and says he is happy to help improve relations between the English association and the game’s governing body.He told BBC Radio: “England in my opinion needs to build bridges both within Uefa and Fifa. I can assure you that I will do all in my power – if asked – to help the English FA.”(The FA) need to get good people there, they need to get people who are highly respected throughout Europe and the world and there are a lot of very good people in England who could probably do those jobs.”They need to build back confidence again. England as a football nation are undoubtedly one of the best nations in the world, there’s no doubt about that, but sometimes some people feel that there is a little bit of arrogance there – I’m just being honest.”Apparently there was a meeting before (the postponement vote) of the European countries. England have the right to do what they did today. I’m not criticising them for doing that, they felt they wanted to do something, they stood up and they did it.”But the amazing thing appeared to be that (FA chairman) David Bernstein was the only person on that stage who tried to get the vote stopped.
“I’d have thought some other people would have gone up if they felt the same way and backed the FA, but nobody did.”Instead, 172 associations voted against the FA’s move, and Mr Bernstein and the FA came in for stinging criticism from Fifa’s senior vice-president Julio Grondona among others.Mr Blatter has promised reform of the Fifa voting arrangements.Mr Grondona criticised the English FA and the English media for their attacks on the Fifa family, and Mr Boyce believes Mr Blatter has garnered a great deal of support across the world game.”Fifa has come in for a lot of criticism, some of it is probably justified,” Mr Boyce said.”But if you look it spent $794m (£485m) helping developing countries, looking after under-privileged people and they put a lot of money back into football.”At Congress there were 186 votes for Sepp Blatter to still be the president of Fifa. Fifa has done an awful lot of good for the world game, but there are certain individuals who obviously have given Fifa a bad name.”Speaking on his return from Zurich the English FA chief said the association was not engaged in a “campaign” against Fifa.Mr Bernstein said: “We’ll keep at it. We’ve got to work with Fifa, not against them.”:: Mr Blatter, 75, has said former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, 88, has agreed to be on a “committee of wise persons” to advise on Fifa’s new corporate governance and compliance body. – SKYNews
