Cameron backs calls for Blatter to quit

London, May 28 (IANS/EFE) British Prime Minister David Cameron concurred on Thursday with requests for Sepp Blatter to resign as FIFA president following the arrest of several members of the world football governing body on charges of corruption.

Cameron, via his official spokesperson, fell in line with his Culture, Media and Sport Secretary John Whittingdale, who demanded "a change in (FIFA) leadership" during his speech on Thursday in the House of Commons.

"I've associated the prime minister in full with what John Whittingdale was saying," Cameron's spokesperson said on his behalf, as the prime minister is touring European countries to promote his EU reforms before calling for a referendum in Britain about its status in the European Union.

Whittingdale also asserted that FIFA should be the "guardian of the world's most popular sport", and not an organisation whose members "seek to profit personally from the passion of the game's fans".

"The responsibility with regard to football administration is for football administrators but the FA -- and we are squarely behind the FA supports the candidacy of Prince Ali and we are four square behind that," the spokesperson said.

"I fully support the football association's position that significant and wide-ranging reforms are urgently needed at the very top of FIFA, including a change in its leadership," the spokesperson added.

When asked if the World Cup should be held in England, the spokesperson said that, although many Britons were disappointed to lose the chance, including the prime minister himself, "the focus now is both the investigations and reform of FIFA".

He added that it was "too soon" to decide whether the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes, which favoured Russia and Qatar respectively, should be subject to a re-vote.

--IANS/EFE

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