Zurich’s great divide

PR FIRM Teneo, who represent the American lawyers now effectively running FIFA, helped perpetuate the divisive atmosphere in Zurich by inviting a few handpicked media to a briefing with acting secretary general Markus Kattner the night before yesterday’s press conference.

A FIFA spokesman said it was common practice for such briefings to take place with a variety of media.

It also beggars belief that Wolfgang Niersbach remains on the FIFA executive despite having resigned as German football chief in the wake of the scandal about an alleged slush fund to buy votes for the 2006 World Cup.

lYORKSHIRE

chief executive Mark Arthur told a Halifax Cricket League dinner exactly what he thought of the ECB over the lack of consultation about the coin toss change for next season. The ambitious Arthur made his strong comments despite his former county boss Colin Graves now being ECB chairman. GARY NEVILLE is going to be focused on his head coach role with Valencia over the next five months. So perhaps it is fortunate that a takeover has seen him resign as a director of Island Hotels Group in Malta, in which he made a £1.1m investment in 2009. Coincidentally, the FA are considering staying in one of the hotels in which Neville had a stake when they play Malta in the World Cup qualifier in September 2017. Neville has so far received half his takeover windfall.