28 May 2015

Call to boycott FIFA

6:44 pm on 28 May 2015

There's a call for major football nations to boycott the sport's governing body FIFA, in the wake of the latest corruption allegations.

The former England captain Gary Lineker says it's nauseating to be involved in football, after several leading Fifa officials were arrested on charges of receiving more than $200 million in bribes.

Lineker has told the BBC the allegations show just how deeply corruption is ingrained at FIFA but he doesn't expect it to lead to the downfall of Sepp Blatter as FIFA president when elections are held tomorrow.

Former England captain Gary Lineker

Former England captain Gary Lineker Photo: BBC

"It's quite clear that FIFA need to become totally transparent, pretty much start again in my book or it needs to be taken out of their hands.

"The major federations of world football need to get together and boycott FIFA and say 'listen we've had enough of this. It's time we did things differently more honest, (and) more transparently which the game deserves."

European football body UEFA has called for tomorrow's presidential election to be postponed but Lineker doubts the situation will have much impact on Blatter.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the election went ahead and he (Blatter) walked away with it as he always seems to do.

"Obviously he has all the people that are going to vote on this on his side...the elections should be suspended for now, it's common sense and that should prevail but common sense doesn't always exist in the towers of FIFA," Lineker said.