Football: William fires salvo at Fifa

Prince William, pictured with FA chairman Greg Dyke, has criticised Fifa's stance on corruption. Photo / AP

Prince urges troubled football body to ‘put the sport first’ in unprecedented speech.

Prince William has intervened in the Fifa corruption scandal with an unprecedented speech criticising world football's governing body.

He urged Fifa to deal with the allegations of widespread bribery levelled at the organisation by American and Swiss investigators for the sake of football and its fans around the world.

In his speech as president of the Football Association before Saturday's FA Cup Final at Wembley, the Duke of Cambridge gave his backing to the FA's tough stance on Fifa and its opposition to its president, Sepp Blatter, who stands accused of presiding over "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted corruption".

William said: "There seems to be a huge disconnect between the sense of fair play that guides those playing and supporting the game, and the allegations of corruption that have long lingered around the management of the sport internationally."

Last week, 14 people, including seven of Fifa's most senior figures, and a number of marketing executives, were arrested at the request of the FBI as part of criminal investigations into bribes totalling US$150 million.

"The events in Zurich this week represent Fifa's Salt Lake City moment, when the International Olympic Committee went through a similar period of serious allegations," said William. "Fifa, like the IOC, must now show that it can represent the interests of fair play and put the sport first."

He gave his support to the decision by David Gill, vice-chairman of the FA, to refuse to turn up for his first meeting on Fifa's executive committee following Mr Blatter's re-election as president.

"Those backing Fifa, such as sponsors and the regional confederations, must do their bit to press these reforms - we are doing football and its fans no favours if we do not," said William.

He had helped spearhead England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup, which it lost to Russia.

He was left "bitterly disappointed" in 2010 when England won only two of a possible 22 votes in the secret ballot. Russia's bid is now the subject of a Swiss investigation into Fifa corruption, along with the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

The Prince's intervention - which represents an unprecedented move for a senior member of the royal family - came as world football appeared to be heading for a fundamental split over the continued influence of Mr Blatter as president of Fifa.

Greg Dyke, the chairman of the FA, said South American countries had joined Europe in voting against Mr Blatter on Saturday, in opposition to his support among Asian and African countries.