Former FA chairman Clarke steps down from FIFA Council

[November 12, 2020]    LONDON (Reuters) - Greg Clarke stepped down from the FIFA Council on Thursday, two days after resigning as English Football Association chairman having referred to "coloured footballers" during questions from members of parliament.

FA chairman Greg Clarke before the match. Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine

European soccer governing body UEFA said Clarke had spoken to its president Aleksander Ceferin on Thursday and agreed to resign as one of its representatives on the FIFA Council, the main decision-making body of the world soccer organisation.

"Following a telephone call this morning 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 representative on the FIFA Council," UEFA said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

Clarke, 63, was widely criticised after making a series of inappropriate comments while taking questions from members of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) select committee on Tuesday. He later apologised for his choice of words.

Former Leicester City chairman Clarke was elected to the FIFA Council in February 2019.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing by Ken Ferris)

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