01/06/2011

Jim Boyce To Be FIFA Vice President

It has emerged that Sepp Blatter will most likely kick off a fourth term heading the international soccer ruling body, FIFA.

Despite allegations of corruption, and two UK football bodies calling for the presidential election to be postponed, the current President Sepp Blatter remained the only one in the running for the 1 June election.

His election seemed certain after second candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam's withdrawal.

Northern Ireland's Jim Boyce, (pictured) will take over as Britain's new FIFA Vice President and has said that he believes England need to work hard to build bridges to combat an "anti-FA feeling" in world football.

The English Football Association had called for the FIFA election to be postponed due to the scandals that have rocked the world governing body.

But, the vote to formally re-elect Blatter will take place later today anyway even though both the English and Scottish FAs earlier failed in their opposition and were unable to get three-quarters of FIFA's congress to support their proposal but received only 17 votes in their favour, with 17 abstentions.

Wales and Northern Ireland both chose not to support the proposal, with only the Scots going public in opposing the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, (FIFA) poll.

Mr Boyce, the former President of the Irish Football Association will take his seat as one of eight vice-presidents in FIFA's Executive Committee, taking the place of Englishman, Geoff Thompson.

(BMcC/GK)

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