Only European bidders set to be considered for 2018 World Cup claims Blatter

By Duncan Mackay

January 26 – Only European nations should be considered to host the 2018 World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured) has claimed in a move which would leave Australia and the United States battling for the right to host the 2022 tournament.

Blatter revealed he had talked over the proposal with Michel Platini, president of UEFA, European football’s governing body, following a meeting today with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to discuss his country’s joint bid with Portugal.

England, Russia and Netherlands-Belgium complete the line-up of four European bids to stage either the 2018 or 2022 event.

Australia, Japan and United States have also bid for either 2018 for 2022 and South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar have all applied to host the 2022 World Cup only.

Blatter said: ”There is a movement at the moment among the various candidates that in the end it would be a good solution if the candidates for 2018 would only be those from Europe.”

The move appears to ensure that the tournament returns to Europe in 2018 for the first time since Germany in 2006 after it will have been hosted in South Africa this year and Brazil in 2014.

There is a growing fear among FIFA that with so many European candidates it could split the vote and allow a country like Australia or the USA to sneak in and host the 2018 tournament.

Blatter said: ”It’s not been finally decided but it’s the idea, also to make the work of FIFA easier and especially that of the Executive Committee.

“It would also possibly make the work of the different organisations applying for the World Cup easier.”

Candidates must submit bid documentation by the end of May and FIFA will study those in June before sending out its specialists to assess whether those nations can organise a successful World Cup.

Blatter also said that the two European joint bids had good chances of holding the tournament, an apparent volte face on his previous position when he claimed to be against them.

He said: ”History has shown that at the European Championships of 2000 [Belgium-Netherlands] and 2008 [Austria-Switzerland] that joint-organisation can be a great success.”

FIFA is due to choose the hosts for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup at a meeting in Zurich on December 2.

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