Fifa congress marred by racism row

ZURICH – Scotland’s John McBeth looks unlikely to take up his post as Fifa’s British representative after widespread publication of his highly critical views of Africans, the English and president Sepp Blatter.

McBeth, the successor to compatriot David Will on the Fifa executive, has been told he is not welcome at the Congress this week and his remarks will be investigated by Fifa’s Ethics Committee under chairman Sebastian Coe. A senior Fifa delegate said yesterday: “It is now virtually impossible for him to take his place on executive committee.He has insulted Africans, people from the Caribbean, the English and the Fifa president Sepp Blatter.I do not think that was a particularly clever thing to do in his position.”Blatter will be voted in for a third term of office by acclamation on Thursday with no other opponent standing against him.However it is almost certain the British associations, who under Fifa’s statutes have a permanent seat on the executive committee, will have to elect a new vice-president.McBeth won his place in a poll of the four British associations earlier this year.McBeth briefed Scottish journalists last week and his astonishingly candid comments were published on Sunday.Scotland on Sunday quoted him as saying of Blatter: “He’s a tricky customer but I suppose anyone in that position has to be because you are dealing with people who, to put it mildly, have a totally different code of ethics.”He also said that in his new post he would have to be kinder to the English, adding: “The rest of the world hates their guts.”Nampa-ReutersA senior Fifa delegate said yesterday: “It is now virtually impossible for him to take his place on executive committee.He has insulted Africans, people from the Caribbean, the English and the Fifa president Sepp Blatter.I do not think that was a particularly clever thing to do in his position.”Blatter will be voted in for a third term of office by acclamation on Thursday with no other opponent standing against him.However it is almost certain the British associations, who under Fifa’s statutes have a permanent seat on the executive committee, will have to elect a new vice-president.McBeth won his place in a poll of the four British associations earlier this year.McBeth briefed Scottish journalists last week and his astonishingly candid comments were published on Sunday.Scotland on Sunday quoted him as saying of Blatter: “He’s a tricky customer but I suppose anyone in that position has to be because you are dealing with people who, to put it mildly, have a totally different code of ethics.”He also said that in his new post he would have to be kinder to the English, adding: “The rest of the world hates their guts.”Nampa-Reuters