FIFA has defended its role as
the guardian of world football and rejected calls to share control of the sport.
"Despite the indisputable respect that the world of football must show
national legislation, it must be extremely vigilant with regard to attempts by
governments ¨C as well as supranational government organisations ¨C to control the
most popular sport on earth," said FIFA President Sepp Blatter in a statement
overnight.
FIFA has been in a long dispute with the European Union. Brussels has said it
would like to set new rules for corporate governance in the game, impose tougher
rules on players' agents and perhaps set a salary cap.
Blatter said the attempt to interfere in football matters was "a trend which
has become increasingly evident in recent years, especially in Europe".
An EU-backed report released in May said that financial scandals, corruption
and racism had left European football in a dire state, and called on the "direct
involvement of political leaders" to put the continent's favourite sport back on
track.
The report called for stricter corporate governance in the wake of betting
and match-fixing scandals in Germany and Italy, as well as financial
difficulties that affect clubs across Europe.
It also recommended that a rule on homegrown players should be reintroduced,
and said clubs must continue to release players to national teams without
compensation.
UEFA, Europe's governing body, co-operated closely with the report and
concrete proposals based on it are expected by the end of the year.
For years, FIFA has been involved in a feud with the G14 group of the richest
European clubs. Blatter has described football as in danger of being destroyed
by wealthy club owners who pour "pornographic amounts of money" into the game.
FIFA said it is also concerned by other situations of government interference
in Algeria, Cambodia, Iran, Nigeria, Poland and Portugal. A dispute with Greece
has been resolved, it said.
FIFA said national associations have recommended that Kenya's federation be
suspended "for failing to respect agreements that had been signed and for
recurrent problems in the association, in particular the integrity of national
competitions".