Sir Dave Richards apologises to Fifa and Uefa for accusing them of 'stealing football from the English' Then, 50 years later, some guy came along and said, 'You're liars', and they actually stole it. It was called Fifa. Fifty years later, another gang came along called Uefa and stole a bit more. He said in a statement: "I would like to apologise for any offence caused. It is important to clarify that I was expressing my personal views and not those of any organisation I represent. My comments on the heritage of the game were intended to be light-hearted. They clearly have not come across in that way and I sincerely regret making them and any resulting negativity that may have been interpreted towards Fifa and Uefa. I will be writing to both organisations in these terms. Richards hurt a leg in his fall and had it looked at before being released from hospital. Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, who was with Richards at the time, said: "I was on the way to dinner with Sir Dave at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. We were walking across to our table in a dark courtyard area. There were three fountain areas nearby, no pool. They had switched off the lights. He thought he was stepping on to flat marble, but his foot went down into the water, he fell over and hurt his leg quite badly. Any suggestions he had a drink is nonsense. It's a dry place. Richards had also told the conference that Qatar must make the sale of beer freely available at the 2022 World Cup or face a boycott by fans.