FIFA puts off decision on bids

Source: Agencies  |   2008-10-25  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

FIFA'S executive committee failed to reach agreement yesterday on the bidding process for World Cups, delaying its decision on the bid timetable until December.

The executive committee had been due to vote on a proposal by FIFA president Sepp Blatter to run the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments simultaneously.

"No decision was taken, we will look at the matter again in Tokyo," executive committee member Nicolas Leoz said.

"I think it is a sensible decision and one which the FIFA president agreed with," executive committee member and former World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer said.

"Many of the associations had only heard about this idea to award both tournaments simultaneously through the media, so delaying the decision gives us all more time to discuss the proposal and hear people's thoughts on it."

South Africa and Brazil were awarded the 2010 and 2014 World Cups under a short-lived rotation system.

FIFA decided last year to end the rotation policy, opening up the 2018 bidding contest to a much larger field.

Earlier, the Chinese Football Association said China had still not decided whether to build on the huge success of the Beijing Olympics by launching a bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup finals.

Belgium and the Netherlands have announced plans for a joint bid. England, the US, Mexico, Spain and Australia are likely to join the race.

"We have no announcement to make about whether we will bid or not at present," CFA spokesman Dong Hua said yesterday.