World Cups may face boycott

Britain said Europe should consider boycotting future World Cups if Sepp Blatter doesn’t quit as head of soccer’s governing body over a corruption scandal, while Swiss authorities denied they would soon question the newly re-elected Fifa president.

The Swiss-born Fifa chief complained on Saturday that he had been shown “zero respect” in recent days, revealing how he had rejected advice from one of his main critics, the head of the European governing body, to quit at last week’s Fifa congress.

John Whittingdale, the British sports minister, yesterday renewed calls for Blatter to step aside, saying all options should be considered when it came to pressuring him to resign, including boycotting the World Cup — something that could split the sport and be calamitous for the tournament.