By Andrew Warshaw in Istanbul
March 22 – British domestic associations concede the time has come to consider giving up their unique privilege of an automatic vice-presidency at FIFA that has stood for 66 years.
While other key positions at FIFA are elected, the so-called British seat has historically always been a nominated post.
The English Football Association (FA) have been at the forefront of demands for wide-ranging reforms at FIFA and admit that relinquishing the seat may have to be part of that process.
FA general secretary Alex Horne (pictured) admitted the position, which has been shared between the four British associations since 1946 and is currently held by Jim Boyce of Northern Ireland until 2015, was no longer realistic.
For years, there have been private attempts by powerful FIFA figures to do away with the British vice-presidency.
Germany’s increasingly influential FIFA administrator Theo Zwanziger is currently reported to be actively looking for a way to ditch the post.
Horne said the FA’s priority was to hang on to power within the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the game’s law-making body, and that giving up the British vice-presidency in exchange may be a worthwhile bargaining tool.
“If you look at it objectively the vice-presidency is quite anachronistic and I wouldn’t fight tooth and nail to keep it if I’m honest,” admitted Horne.
“I’m not sure there’s a great benefit in keeping it – if we give it up in the right way there will be a little bit of goodwill, and it could mean an extra UEFA seat [on FIFA’s Executive Committee].
“As far as IFAB goes that’s much more important to us – the status of IFAB and the conservatism around controlling the laws of the game and the sanctity with which we believe the laws should be protected.
“We feel a lot more strongly about IFAB and if there are sensible conversations to be had about composition then we will listen to them.”
Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan (pictured) conceded it would be wrong to cling to past traditions while at the same time calling for modernisation – as both England and Scotland famously did prior to Sepp Blatter being re-elected as FIFA President.
“It’s perhaps viewed as a bit anachronistic in terms of a modern, forward-looking FIFA,” Regan told reporters here at the UEFA Congress.
“We are not surprised to see it on the list of potential changes because for us, one year on, to criticise an attempt to modernise FIFA is perhaps being hypocritical.
“Probably of the 208 nations around the world, 204 of them view the British vice-presidency as something of a kickback in time.”
Regan said it was important, however, that the vice-presidency remained the property of Europe.
“What we would need to do is look at how that role is used in the future, perhaps retained by UEFA,” he said.
“If it’s not going to be used directly as a British vice-president, is there an opportunity to improve the governance of FIFA in another way?”
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