• ‘Credibility of football’s world governing body is in freefall’ • ‘Coordinated action needed with support of many countries’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The chief executive of Germany’s Bundesliga launched a scathing attack on Fifa, saying coordinated action was needed from Europe to reform world football’s governing body.

Fifa is in the middle of a crisis and has been fending off allegations of corruption over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

“One does not know if one should wonder or feel ashamed for them,” Christian Seifert told Süddeutsche Zeitung. “It cannot be acceptable when Fifa’s credibility is in a freefall. As a serious organisation we feel that we are not represented by this Fifa.”

German football officials are unhappy with Qatar being picked as the hosts of the 2022 tournament.

The tiny Gulf state, enriched by its vast natural gas resources, has virtually no football tradition, has never qualified for the World Cup and does not have the appropriate climate for a summer World Cup, which has produced another huge debate about what time of the year the tournament should be staged.

Seifert stopped short of calling for a boycott but said some 75% of players at a World Cup were under contract in Europe. He added that any action against Fifa should be a coordinated action with the support of many countries.

“When Europe says ‘we will not play’ then that changes everything. A boycott would be an effective weapon but one has to think things through,” he said.

“Everyone would have to agree and I have serious doubts about it. France is very unlikely to turn against Qatar with [Uefa President] Michel Platini considered a Qatar supporter. If it is then only Germany and England that remain, then I fear it is not strong enough.”

The former chairman of the English Football Association, David Triesman, who led England’s failed bid for the 2018 tournament, has urged European nations to boycott both tournaments unless Fifa transforms itself into a transparent, open organisation.

Russia and Qatar deny any wrongdoing and the German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert’s summary of the report by the Fifa-appointed investigator, Michael Garcia, was that there were no grounds to reopen the bidding process.

However, Garcia said Eckert’s statement contained misrepresentations and he would refer the report to Fifa’s appeal committee.