Top Fifa official says sorry over ‘pirates’ jibe

ARGENTINA’S Fifa vice-president Julio Grondona has apologised for his “unacceptable” attack on England, Football Association chairman David Bernstein revealed yesterday.

Grondona, who is also president of his country’s national association, branded the English “liars” and “pirates” at the Fifa Congress in Zurich in June, but has now written a letter of apology.

Bernstein told the Leaders in Football conference in London that the FA’s relationships with Fifa and Uefa were improving, and that Grondona had retracted his remarks.

He said: “I was pleased to receive a letter of apology from the Argentinian [FA] president Grondona following his unacceptable comments about England in Zurich.”

Grondona’s comments came after Bernstein had asked the Fifa Congress to postpone the Fifa presidential election where Sepp Blatter was elected unopposed. The Argentine told the Congress: “We always have attacks from England which are mostly lies with the support of journalism which is more busy lying than telling the truth. This upsets the Fifa family.”

In an interview with a German press agency, Grondona had earlier called England “pirates” and added: “With the English [2018 World Cup] bid I said: ‘Let us be brief. If you give back the Falkland Islands, which belong to us, you will get my vote’. They then became sad and left.”

Bernstein said there was “great disappointment” over the pace of Fifa reforms in the wake of the corruption scandals. He also insisted that he had no regrets about standing up at the Fifa Congress to call for the election to be postponed.