Majority of Qataris don't want fifth Blatter term

A poll conducted by Forza Football in conjunction with Transparency International sought the opinions of 35,000 international supporters from 27 countries, who voted overwhelmingly for the Swiss chief to give up his post.

Ninety per cent of fans in Britain were against a fifth Blatter term, with South Americans even more vehement in their disapproval – on average, 96% of supporters in Chile, Colombia and Brazil voted 'no'.

Blatter found more support in the Middle East – only 60% of Qataris and 72% of Saudi Arabians were against another reign – but even then, the majority were against despite the former set to host the World Cup in 2022. 

Meanwhile, 69% of fans said they didn’t have any confidence in FIFA’s governing.

Only 2% of worldwide voters believed Qatar was the best choice of venue for the 2022 World Cup. The most popular responses were Australia and the USA, who received 39% and 38% of the vote respectively.

Deborah Unger from Transparency International said: “The corruption and scandals associated with FIFA have so damaged its reputation that fans have no confidence in the organisation. That is sending a strong message to the small elite controlling FIFA that it must clean up its act.”