ZURICH — Fifa is putting its entire executive committee on the organising body of the World Cup after fears about the progress of preparations for Brazil in 2014.
“To underline the significance of the Fifa World Cup for world football’s governing body, the complete Fifa executive committee is now, for the first time, part of this decision-making forum which is responsible for monitoring and organising each edition of Fifa’s flagship event,” the body said on Wednesday.
Fifa said Danny Jordaan, chief executive of South Africa’s organising committee for the 2010 World Cup, and Alexei Sorokin, head of the Russian 2018 organising committee, would also be involved.
Preparations for the tournament in Brazil have been dogged by delays in the building of stadiums and other infrastructure such as airports, local transport connections and hotels.
Those worries have been increased by plans to have teams travelling to different parts of the vast country for their group matches rather than staying in the same venue.
Fifa has also become exasperated at delays over a so-called World Cup Bill which would temporarily over-ride local laws which ban the sale of alcohol in stadiums and guarantee discounted tickets for students and old-age pensioners.
Fifa confirmed secretary-general Jerome Valcke, who infuriated Brazilians by saying local organisers needed “a kick up the backside”, had taken part in a meeting of the organising committee in Zurich on Wednesday.
“Jerome Valcke attended the meeting as the person in charge of the Fifa World Cup organisation at Fifa,” said soccer’s governing body in a separate statement.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Brazil Sports minister Aldo Rebelo had called for Valcke, who has repeatedly said that the Bill should have been passed in 2007, to be replaced.
Fifa also met Jose Maria Marin, the new head of Brazil’s local organising committee, after Ricardo Teixeira quit citing health problems and amid allegations of corruption.
World Cups are traditionally run by two organsing committees working in tandem, one comprising Fifa members and another made up of local members.
The Fifa committee, administered from Zurich, is usually made up of several senior executive committee members and any co-opted members Fifa sees fit to ask, but not, until now, the entire executive committee. —Reuters
