FA statement: FIFA Congress

FA Chairman, David Bernstein, said: "After hearing the speech from Sepp Blatter, we believe the calls we have made for greater transparency and better governance have been worthwhile.

"While we did not succeed in deferring the FIFA presidential election, it was positive to be joined by 16 other nations in supporting our democratic request for the vote to be delayed, while a further 17 nations abstaining clearly shows that we are not alone or isolated in our views in relation to the current situation FIFA finds itself in.

"We believe it was very important that we were true to ourselves by making clear our position through our statement on Tuesday, and by carrying this forward openly to the FIFA Congress earlier today.

"We are confident The FA has played a significant role as a catalyst for change in the way World Cup hosts will be selected in the future, following the announcement that, moving forward, Congress will make this decision. This must be a more open transparent process.

"It also encouraging to hear Mr Blatter announce that the Ethics Committee will also be accountable to FIFA Congress. We are confident this a further important step forward towards an approach of greater transparency and accountability.

"We welcome Mr Blatter's proposals for the creation of a committee to oversee the improvement of FIFA's governance arrangements.  We are pleased that this committee will be answerable to Congress, however we wish to see the make-up of this committee include independent members, to ensure that appropriate solutions are identified using external benchmarks and expertise."