Claims that England have reneged on a written agreement that Wales should have the next British FIFA vice-presidency has cast a controversial shadow over Tuesday's election for the post.
David Gill, a Manchester United director and FA vice-chairman, is standing against Welsh FA president Trefor Lloyd Hughes - with the English candidate expected to easily win the seat on FIFA's executive committee, which for the first time is being voted for by all 54 UEFA members at their congress in Vienna.
However, Wales believe that England have gone back on a 2011 agreement by the four home nations - a copy of which has been obtained by Press Association - which guaranteed their nominee to succeed Northern Ireland's Jim Boyce.
The agreement, signed by the previous FA chairman David Bernstein, says: "The order of rotation shall be IFA (2011-15) - FAW - SFA - FA - IFA etc in perennity."
It adds that any changes to the agreement require all four home nations to agree, stating: "Proposals to amend the foregoing terms require unanimity of vote to succeed."
Lloyd Hughes has made no secret of his unhappiness at the FA deciding to put Gill up to stand.
He said: "The agreement has nothing to do with UEFA or FIFA, it is between the four associations and the four associations have signed up to that.
"The last line of the agreement categorically states that it cannot be changed whatsoever without all the associations agreeing to it."
Gill claims the agreement became void after FIFA reforms which mean the British FIFA vice-presidency will be elected by all UEFA members instead of just the four home nations.
Gill said: "If there was a deal, that then changed after the reforms. It may be semantics but it previously was the British vice-president of FIFA. Now it's UEFA electing a FIFA vice-president. "
UEFA's general secretary Gianni Infantino backed the FA's position saying at a news conference in Vienna that the FIFA reforms meant the agreement no longer stood.
Infantino said: "We managed to convince FIFA to keep the British vice-presidency as we feel this is part of the history of football but the condition was that the election process should change so instead of it being the four British associations who decide it should be the UEFA Congress.
"So the conditions and situations have changed and the representative of the British associations will have a much greater legitimacy as he will be backed by the whole confederation."
Lloyd Hughes' manifesto has targeted the smaller nations, saying they are being left behind in terms of finances while the rich are getting richer.
He said: "It seems the richer associations are getting bigger and bigger than the smaller ones, and benefiting to a greater extent compared to those at the lower level.
"There also seems to be a wedge between FIFA and UEFA which cannot be good for the game of football in the long run. That has to stop now, not in five or 10 years' time.
Source: PA
