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'Scrap FIFA and start again', says Lord Triesman

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The former FA chairman Lord Triesman has called for FIFA to be dismantled and replaced by a new governing body.

Former FA chairman Lord Triesman believes FIFA should be dismantled and a new governing body set up in its place.

Triesman has been a long-term critic of the world governing body and made allegations of 'improper and unethical' behaviour by four FIFA members in the House of Commons in 2011.

The 72-year-old, who resigned from his FA and World Cup 2018 bid posts in 2010, says he doubts the capacity of any of the current FIFA presidential candidates to change a "deep-seated culture" of corruption.  

He told Sky Sports News HQ: "I don't think they've achieved any reforms yet. They keep saying they're on the way but I've heard that quite a number of times in the past.

"It's a very deep-seated culture, and a very bad one, and it takes a lot of eradicating. My feeling is that it would be better to tear the model up and start again.

"My suspicion is that it's in terminal decline as an organisation - too many people know the truth about it.

"I'm very doubtful that these candidates can change anything. I'm not sure one person, however good, could change it."

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Bahrain's Sheikh Salman gained notable advantage in the presidential race when receiving the unanimous support of the African Confederation, while he is already chief of the Asian Football Confederation

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino gives a press conference following a UEFA Executive meeting on October 15, 2015
Image: Gianni Infantino's presidential campaign backed by ECA

On Wednesday, he called for voters to agree on a single candidate ahead of the election, after Europe's leading clubs gave their support to UEFA interim chief Gianni Infantino.

Triesman said: "There are some decent human beings there who plainly believe the fundamental of the way FIFA operates is OK.

"But I can also see one or two are from a very autocratic background, and one in particular with an appalling human rights record. These are not the people to change world football.

"When people look at Sheikh Salman as a potential president, they'd have to ask whether a medieval ruler of a medieval state has it in their hearts and interests to change football in the modern world. I don't think he can make any difference."

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