DISGRACED former FA chairman Greg Clarke has resigned from his £190,000-a-year job with Fifa.
Clarke, forced to quit his Wembley role after a car-crash appearance before MPs on Monday, had wanted to keep his role on the Fifa Council until March.
Greg Clarke stepped down from his role as Fifa vice-president after being forced to resign as FA chairmanCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The ex-Wembley chief claimed he had been asked to stay on by Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin to ensure that European football did not lose a vote on any contentious issues arising over the coming months.
But Uefa’s own rulebook says that the European governing body has the right to elect a replacement for any vice-president or council member who leaves their position.
And in a statement, Uefa confirmed: “Following a telephone call this morning between the Uefa President and Greg Clarke, they agreed with Greg Clarke’s proposal that he should step down with immediate effect from his position as a Uefa representative on Fifa Council.”
The U-turn came just hours after Clarke told Sky Sports News: “I am staying purely at the request of Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin.”
It was claimed that Ceferin, still locked in a bitter power battle with Fifa president Gianni Infantino and who has formed a strategic alliance with South American chiefs on a number of proposals, was concerned at losing one of his bloc’s eight votes on the 37-member Council.
There was a suggestion that Ceferin’s willingness to keep Clarke on for four months was a repayment for the FA chairman’s vote in favour of Colombia’s bid to stage the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
That came despite Fifa’s official bid team strongly coming down on the side of the winning bid from Australia and New Zealand, with Clarke taking flak from both nations for seemingly ignoring the strong links between the Antipodean countries and the UK.
But it then emerged that Uefa’s own rulebook DID allow them to replace Clarke – and, in fact, demanded they do so if he stood down.
Article 5 of Uefa Statutes reads: “If a Vice-President or a person elected to the Fifa Council vacates his position during his term of office, the Uefa Executive Committee shall elect a replacement for the remaining period until the next Congress.”
Clarke’s departure now puts the onus on Ceferin to name his replacement ahead of the next Fifa Council meeting due in a few weeks.
The likeliest short-term option would be to ask Uefa Treasurer and former Manchester United chief executive David Gill – who stepped down from the former ruling Fifa executive committee in 2015 in a protest at the rule of Sepp Blatter – to fill the void.
There are only a handful of Fifa meetings due between now and March, although Gill has already signalled he intends to stand down from his current Uefa post at the Congress.
That will give time for the FA to find a candidate for the remaining two years of Clarke’s mandate.
All 55 Uefa member nations are allowed to vote on the British seat, which saw Clarke see off a challenge by Northern Ireland’s David Martin in 2019.
But Ceferin has previously indicated he believes England should represent the UK rather than the seat being filled by someone from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
That will be even more critical with England being the leader of the planned British Isles 2030 World Cup bid, with the vote currently due to be held in 2023.
What he said wasn’t acceptable and there was no alternative but for him to go
Gareth Southgate on Greg Clarke
Clarke resigned as FA chairman on Tuesday following the grilling in front of Parliament.
The 63-year-old was forced into two public apologies after making reference to ‘coloured footballers’ and then suggesting that being gay was a lifestyle choice.
Upon quitting, he said: “My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.
“I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.”
England boss Gareth Southgate said there was ‘no alternative’ but for Clarke to step away.
Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Ireland, he said: “We can’t just keep standing in front of the cameras talking about change. We are seeing a lot of change in society and football needs to be at the front of that.
“What’s a shame for him [Clarke] is he has done a lot of work behind the scenes to support the diversity code and make inroads into relationships around Europe.
“But what he said wasn’t acceptable and there was no alternative but for him to go.”
Clarke resigned following a shambolic appearance in front of MPs on TuesdayCredit: PA:Press Association
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
