FIFA On Right Path to Reform says FA’s Bernstein

Football Association chairman David Bernstein believes FIFA is on the right path to reform after talks with the world governing body’s president Sepp Blatter.

Bernstein spent two hours with Blatter over the weekend for discussions that were convivial considering it is less than a year since the FA chairman stood up at the FIFA Congress and called for Blatter’s unopposed election to be postponed.

The FA chairman raised concerns about third-party ownership of players and regulation of agents, and Blatter detailed the progress of FIFA’s reform plans.

Bernstein said: “I am quite encouraged from what I hear from Mr Blatter about governance changes at FIFA, and I really do think they mean it this time at this time and quite a lot is happening which sounded very positive.

“The proof of the pudding will be in the eating but they seem to be moving in the right direction. I was able to raise quite a lot of issues with him which I think influenced the FIFA position on some things which are quite important to us.

“I made the point last year after the FIFA Congress that we needed to make our position clear at the time and take an independent position, but I also said that we have to work within the tent and although we find some things about FIFA difficult, it was important to work with them.”

by Ismail Uddin