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Heather Rabbatts says alliances not boycotts are key to ousting Blatter

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Heather Rabbatts has resigned from FIFA’s Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination after the re-election of Sepp Blatter as president

Heather Rabbatts says the key to ousting FIFA president Sepp Blatter will be building alliances with other federations and not boycotting tournaments.

Rabbatts resigned from FIFA’s Task Force Against Racism and Discrimination on Monday following the re-election of Blatter as president.

She admits the decision was a difficult one to make but was taken because of the corruption scandal of the past week which has seen seven officials arrested and indicted by US prosecutors.

The ultimate aim for Rabbatts is to remove Blatter, and she feels the best route to such a goal does not lie in the boycott of a World Cup, an option suggested by UEFA president Michel Platini and will be discussed at Thursday's meeting of UEFA members in Berlin.

“I don’t think it’s a question of boycotting competitions at this stage, we need to build alliances to make change,” she said. “The number of votes cast against Sepp Blatter in the first round of the FIFA presidential elections  showed there are alliances in place.

“It’s about how we now build those alliances to look to effect change and that is the focus for the work over the coming months.”

Rabbatts says the decision to withdraw from FIFA’s anti-racism task force was not one she took lightly, but that the recent events ‘undermine the credibility’ of the governing body, making it impossible for her to continue in her role.

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The current issues totally undermine the credibility of FIFA and therefore this work was not something I could continue to participate in.
Heather Rabbatts

“It was a very difficult decision, I’ve devoted most of my life to fighting racism and discrimination but the events of the past week at FIFA mean it is impossible to continue on that task force.

“The chairman is suspended and detained and I think the current issues totally undermine the credibility of FIFA and therefore this work was not something I could continue to participate in.

“As the FA made clear in its support of Prince Ali in the elections, we wish to see a change in leadership at the very top of that organisation so we can have confidence that FIFA is a body which has integrity at its heart.

“Clearly there will be further discussions at government level and with our colleagues in Berlin later this week. We will all play a part in trying to implement change at the highest level.”

The president of the German Football Association Wolfgang Niersbach says they do not want a boycott of the World Cup either.

Niersbach said: "We don't want to go down that route of a boycott, that won't accomplish anything.

"We don't want to get into a situation like with boxing, where there are several parallel associations. That doesn't work."

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