13 Mar 2009Fifa surprise over Premier League's badge snub to United

Football Clubs News | Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

Fifa yesterday (March 12th) expressed its surprise that the Premier League has forbidden Manchester United from wearing their 'world champions' badge in league games.

Sepp Blatter, president of football's world governing body, presented the badge to United chief executive David Gill ahead of this week's Champions League clash with Inter.

However, the Premier League has decreed that United are not permitted to sport the badge - which relates to their Club World Cup win in December - in domestic contests.

Commenting on the news, Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said: "We are happy for Manchester United to wear the badge in every game until the next Club World Cup but the Premier League says no."

Valcke added that the previous winners of the Club World Cup, Milan, wore the badge in all their fixtures last year, including those in Serie A.

United won the competition by defeating Ecuadorian side LDU Quito 1-0 in the final, which was played at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.

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