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Welsh FA: Football Association have reneged on VP deal

FA chairman Greg Dyke has ignored David Bernstein's agreement over the nomination of FIFA vice presidents © Getty Images

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A bitter row over Britain's FIFA vice-presidency has blown up with Wales accusing England of reneging over an agreement.

Wales believe that England have gone back on a 2011 agreement by the four home nations -- a copy of which has been obtained by the Press Association -- which guaranteed their nominee to succeed Northern Ireland's Jim Boyce.

Welsh FA president Trefor Lloyd Hughes said the Football Association had caused huge upset by entering David Gill for the position and that the controversy was "very embarrassing for them."

Gill went on to claim the position, winning the vote ahead of the Welshman 43-10.

Speaking in Vienna, he said: "I'm sorry to say the English FA have really, really upset me and upset the Welsh FA as well. And not just that, the people of Wales because they are up in arms about it. Not just the football fraternity but outside as well.

"The agreement was there. If you can't keep to an agreement... I think the English FA cannot believe in principles any more.

"I think it's very embarrassing for the English FA -- very, very embarrassing."

Gill, a Manchester United director and FA vice-chairman, was elected to FIFA's executive committee ahead of Lloyd Hughes. For the first time the nominations were voted for by all 54 UEFA members at the congress in Vienna.

The agreement, signed by the previous FA chairman David Bernstein, says: "The order of rotation shall be IFA (2011-15) -- FAW -- SFA -- FA -- IFA etc in perennity."

It adds that any changes to the agreement require all four home nations to agree, saying: "Proposals to amend the foregoing terms require unanimity of vote to succeed."

Gill claimed the agreement became void after FIFA reforms which mean the British FIFA vice-presidency will be elected by all UEFA members instead of just the four home nations.

UEFA's general secretary Gianni Infantino backed the FA's position saying at a news conference in Vienna that the FIFA reforms meant the agreement no longer stood.

Infantino said: "We managed to convince FIFA to keep the British vice-presidency as we feel this is part of the history of football but the condition was that the election process should change so instead of it being the four British associations who decide it should be the UEFA Congress.

"So the conditions and situations have changed and the representative of the British associations will have a much greater legitimacy as he will be backed by the whole confederation."

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