The Football Association has been urged to lobby Uefa for a European boycott of the next World Cup – unless Fifa implements meaningful reform.
Former FA chairman David Bernstein told BBC Sport it was time for “drastic” action against the governing body.
He believes the tournament could not be taken seriously without Europe’s major nations and that a boycott would be supported by the English public.
Meanwhile, Bernstein has resigned from Fifa’s anti-discrimination taskforce.
He described it as “ineffectual” and wishes to end his ties with the organisation.
In an exclusive interview, the 71-year-old also said:
Fifa is a “totalitarian” set-up that reminds him of “the old Soviet empire” and is “beyond ridicule”.
The credibility of football is “suffering enormously” under the current Fifa regime.
Choosing Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup was “one of the most ludicrous decisions in the history of sport”.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter will remain in power “unless someone does something about it”.
Bernstein was speaking after Thursday’s report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was questioned by the man who conducted the investigation, Michael Garcia, just hours following its release.
It is the latest controversy to hit football’s world governing body, which has been riddled with allegations of corruption in recent times.
Bernstein led the FA for three years from January 2011 – a month after Russia and Qatar were named hosts for 2018 and 2022 respectively, with England missing out on 2018 – and he wants Fifa to change its ways or face a challenge that it finds impossible to ignore.
“My job is to punish people who do bad things” |
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Appointed by President Bush, married to an FBI agent and barred from entering Russia – BBC News profiles American lawyer Michael Garcia, the man behind the Fifa corruption report. |
“England on its own cannot influence this – one country can’t do it,” he said. “If we tried to do something like that we’d be laughed at.
“I think England within Uefa undoubtedly have the power to influence Fifa, but to do so they would have to consider withdrawing from the World Cup, the next World Cup, unless proper reform – including Mr Blatter not standing [for a fifth term] – is carried out at Fifa.
“If I was at the FA now, I would do everything I could to encourage other nations within Uefa – and there are some who would definitely be on side, others may be not – to take this line.
“At some stage you have to walk the talk, stop talking and do something.”
When asked again if we was calling for the FA to unite with Uefa to boycott Fifa and the World Cup, Bernstein replied: “Unless it could achieve the reforms that would bring Fifa back into the respectable world community, yes I would.
“It sounds drastic but frankly this has gone on for years now, it’s not improving, it’s going from bad to worse to worse.
“There are 54 countries within Uefa. There’s Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Holland – all powerful. You can’t hold a serious World Cup without them. They have the power to influence if they have the will.
Similar views have been expressed by German Football League president Reinhard Rauball, who suggested Uefa could leave Fifa if Garcia’s findings are not published in full.
England’s World Cup bid was criticised in the Fifa report with the FA accused of flouting bidding rules, while Qatar was cleared of corruption allegations.
Bernstein accused world football’s governing body of trying to deflect attention from its own failings.
“I don’t think much to these accusations. I don’t think we should get away from the real issue, the real issue is Fifa governance and trying to achieve real change. But it won’t happen easily.”
Bernstein acknowledges Fifa’s power but is adamant the governing body can be pressured into change if the World Cup is targeted.
“Fifa is sort of a totalitarian set-up,” he said. “Bits of it remind me of the old Soviet empire. People don’t speak out and if they do they get quashed.
“The [Garcia] investigation is possibly flawed but when the investigator complains that his own report is being misinterpreted, it’s beyond ridicule.”
Bernstein backs the authorities (“Swiss government, Swiss tax authorities, FBI, Brussels, the European community”) and sponsors to hold Fifa to account, but thinks Uefa poses the greatest threat.
Much of his anger stems from the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, where blistering summer temperatures means the event could be switched to winter.
“The choosing of Qatar was clearly one of the most ludicrous decisions in the history of sport,” the former Manchester City chairman said.
“You might as well have chosen Iceland in the winter. It was like an Alice in Wonderland sort of decision.
“The attempt to change the timing is also absolutely wrong. It’s like a false prospectus; you put a bid in on one basis and then when you’ve won you change to another.
“There’s also a background of political, social and employment issues that keep emerging and I think there’s a danger that Fifa and football might be embarrassed by what emerges in the coming years,” he added.
“It’s certainly not sour grapes. England didn’t lose to Qatar, we lost to Russia. Qatar is clearly a totally unsuitable place to hold a World Cup.”
Bernstein described Blatter as “formidable, very shrewd, very smart” and conceded it would “not be easy” to bring his reign to an end.
He went on to reveal he had quit Fifa’s anti-discrimination taskforce, which was introduced in 2013 with Jeffrey Webb at the helm.
“I’ve resigned for two reasons: firstly, the body has been pretty ineffectual. I’ve been on it for more than a year and we only had one meeting; secondly because frankly I don’t wish to be personally associated with Fifa any further.
“Fifa sets up these things – and we’ve seen it with their regulation – that look good in theory but don’t seem to do very much in practice.”
David Bernstein was the FA chairman who oversaw the appointment of Roy Hodgson as England coach in 2012
Sepp Blatter has been president of Fifa since 1988
The Zenit Arena in St Petersburg is one of the new stadiums being built to host the 2018 World Cup in Russia
