Loading ...News - FIFA to pick Brazil cities for 2014 World Cup
ZURICH (AP) - FIFA’s ruling committee will decide this weekend which 12 cities in Brazil will host matches at the 2014 World Cup, football’s governing body said Monday.
The 24-man Executive Committee must choose from 17 candidate cities at a May 30-31 meeting in Nassau, Bahamas, that sets the stage for FIFA’s annual Congress next week.
The panel will also hear progress reports from organizers of the eight-nation Confederations Cup — a test event for the 2010 World Cup — being played in South Africa next month, and attempts by suspended federations Ethiopia and Kuwait to regain full status within the global body.
Top of the agenda is the choice of host cities in Brazil, which will be announced Sunday.
A FIFA inspection team visited all 17 cities in January and February.
Executive members agreed last December to have 12 venues instead of 10 after the Brazilian soccer federation asked for a wider spread of matches across the country.
All potential stadiums would hold at least 40,000 spectators.
The 2014 World Cup final is scheduled to be played in the 90,000-capacity Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, which also hosted the final in 1950.
The committee, chaired by President Sepp Blatter, will also work on the agenda for the June 2-3 Congress of the 208 football nations.
FIFA wants to tighten rules that already forbid politicians interfering in the work of independent national associations.
Ethiopia was kicked out of the African qualification tournament for the 2010 World Cup because two factions are battling for control of the national body, while Kuwait’s football is currently being run by an interim panel after FIFA issued a ban in response to government interference.
Source: USA TODAY
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