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The leader of the party demanding the dissolution of the union accuses Infantino of crossing the red lines.
Britain’s Liberal Democrats have called on the Football Association of England and the European Football Association (UEFA) to leave FIFA, accusing the game’s governing body of “destroying the integrity of the beautiful game”.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey said, according to the BBC.BBC:“FIFA no longer serves football or its fans and should be completely dissolved and rebuilt again.
The Liberal Party’s call comes after a series of controversial FIFA decisions during the World Cup, most notably the surprise decision to overturn the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun following direct intervention from US President Donald Trump.
The European Football Association described FIFA’s decision on Balogun as a “crossing of red lines”, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified”, indicating the escalation of tensions between the two bodies during the tournament.
The criticism has not stopped there, with FIFA facing other allegations of high ticket prices for World Cup matches due to a dynamic pricing system, in addition to disputes over drinking water breaks, which are estimated to bring in up to $250 million, or around £189 million, from additional advertising.
FIFA has also been heavily criticized for allowing Somali referee Omar Artani to enter the United States to officiate matches at the tournament.
The Liberal Democrats stressed that these examples together proved that FIFA had overstepped the mark, noting that the BBC had contacted all three parties – FIFA, UEFA and the FA – for comment.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing policy, noting that ticket prices are in line with other major sporting events in the United States.
FIFA includes 211 national federations and is the organizing body of the World Cup, and the FA is one of its members, which means that leaving the system will automatically disqualify it from participating in the World Cup.
Sir Ed Davey said the Football Associations must work together to “create a fair and transparent governing body that puts the fans first”, adding: “The only way forward is for the FA, together with other European bodies, to lead an orderly exit from FIFA.”
The Liberal Democrat leader accused Infantino of “crossing red lines again and again” and “allowing corporate greed to exploit fans at will, destroying the integrity of the beautiful game”.
“It is time for UEFA to move on and leave FIFA and start working with other continental confederations to build a clean and transparent governing body that puts fans first.”
