Clarke quits global roles in wake of Football Association resignation
Greg Clarke has stepped down from his role as a FIFA vice-president and will no longer represent UEFA on the world governing body’s ruling council.
Clarke,63,resignedasFootball Association chairman aftermakingaseriesofoffensive remarksduringanappearance before a parliamentary committee.
Europeanfootball’sgoverning body confirmed that its president Aleksander Ceferin had now spoken to Clarke and agreedwithClarke’ssuggestion hestanddownasaUEFArepresentative on the FIFA Council.
“Following a telephone call between the UEFA president and Greg Clarke, they agreed with Greg Clarke’s proposal that he should step down with immediate effect from his position as a UEFA representativeontheFIFACouncil,”UEFA said.
Through Clarke’s decision, he has also rescinded his position as a FIFA vice-president.
Under Article 5 of the regulations governing the implementation of UEFA statutes, UEFA’s executive committee can elect an interim replacementrepresentative,probably from one of the British associations, to serve on the FIFA Council until the next UEFA Congress in March.
The interim appointment will not become a vice-president though. Any interim appointment must be approved by UEFA’s ExCo which next meets on December 3.
However, the permanent replacement to Clarke – who willbeacandidateputforward by the British associations at the 2021 Congress – would become a FIFA vice-president.
It could mean the English FAlosesahugelyinfluentialposition within the game’s world governing body, because the next vice-president could just as easily be a Northern Irish, Scottish or Welsh representative.
A statement from FIFA read: “We confirm having received Mr Greg Clarke’s resignationasamemberoftheFIFA Council. We have accepted his resignationand,inthecircumstances, consider that he took the right decision in the interests of FIFA and of football.
“We would like to thank Greg for his work in the past for FIFA and on a personal level wish him all the best for the future.”
TheFAappointedPeterMcCormick as interim chairman following Clarke’s departure, and its chief executive Mark Bullinghamsaidithopestoappoint a new chair by the end of March. Paul Elliott and Bobby Barneshavebothbeenmooted as strong contenders.