FAI CHIEF EXECUTIVE John Delaney has admitted he harbours some concerns that taking the 2022 World Cup from Qatar could “bankrupt” Fifa.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of Aer Lingus College Football Classic on Thursday, Delaney said those calling for a change of venue in seven years need to be aware of the consequences of such a move.
“It does concern me in a way.”
“What would our legal advice be at Fifa for moving the World Cup. In other words, would Qatar have a strong legal case against Fifa?
“They’ve obviously spent billions already but could they take a case against Fifa and, in that case, would Fifa be in a position whereby it would be bankrupt?
“So, when you open the door of changing a World Cup venue, you’ve got to be aware of the ramifications. A lot of people are saying there should be a re-vote and that’s fine to say but I’d like to know the implications before we even look at that.”
Delaney was also asked if he felt Sepp Blatter should step aside immediately rather than hold on until a new president of Fifa is appointed and it is something he strongly agreed with.
“In Sepp Blatter’s case, he’s now an emperor without clothes.
“I think he should step down now. I think someone who’s not going to run for president of Fifa should take the chair and in that intervening period let the election commence for a change of culture and a change of governance within Fifa.
“It should happen quickly. I know there’s no official meeting around the Champions League final this weekend but I’ll be talking to people and I’ll see what Fifa is directing itself towards.
“Clearly things are changing day-by-day with Chuck Blazer yesterday and Jack Warner today and it’s a movie that keeps running and running.
“The sad thing is, it’s a movie about the game that I love and it doesn’t do any of us any good to be reading about the revelations to date.”
Delaney believes there is even more to come, however:
“I think when a US Attorney General gets involved, well she didn’t speak about Fifa in a way that you’d want Fifa to be spoken about and she didn’t speak about Fifa in a way that this was just a small dimension of the organisation.
“She spoke about it being at the very top and all through the organisation. So I think there’s a lot of dark days ahead and during those dark days we need a beacon of light.
“We need a change of president and a change of culture.”
