Time for Blatter to go says MEP

East Midlands MEP Emma McClarkin has called for football federations to stand strong and vote for change should Friday’s FIFA presidential election go ahead.

Embattled president Sepp Blatter has so-far refused to step down in the wake of the arrest of seven of the organisation’s officials on bribery charges and looks set to press ahead with his bid for a fifth term of office at FIFA’s congress in Zurich on Friday.

Miss McClarkin, a long-term critic of both the organisation and its president, co-hosted a European summit in January with Damian Collins MP and Belgian MEP Ivo Belet which discussed the corruption crisis and brought together people from around the world prepared to speak out for the reform of football’s international governing body.

Should Friday’s vote go-ahead, a move backed by FA Chairman Greg Dyke, Miss McClarkin hopes football federations will take a stand against the corruption and vote to oust Blatter in favour of rival candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan.

Speaking today, Miss McClarkin said:

“It has been clear for many years that corruption is endemic within FIFA. As an organisation, it needs real change, with real reform, transparency and accountability and that change can’t come fast enough.

“Sepp Blatter’s position is clearly untenable. It is unthinkable that the man who has presided over this persistent corruption and dishonesty for so many years should still think he is still the right man to take it forward.

“I sincerely hope that if the vote does go ahead on Friday, then football federations are strong enough to vote out this rampant corruption that has stifled the heart of FIFA for so long”.