FIFA inspection team visit White House to meet Obama aides

September 8 – FIFA’s World Cup inspectors had breakfast today at the White House, meeting with aides to President Barack Obama.

The six-man delegation inspecting the United States bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, led by Chilean Football Federation President Harold Mayne-Nicholls, met with Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan.

They were joined by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, an assistant to the President for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement who was closely involved last year in Chicago’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.

The delegation also visited the Washington Monument and were led by Sunil Gulati, the chairman of USA Bid and President of the United States Soccer Federation, as well as national team coach Bob Bradley, who recently signed a four-year extension to his contract.

There they were shown detailed plans of the proposed FanFest area, which would include a large television screen to be set up in front of the Monument, with viewing areas stretching back toward the US Capitol Building.

The FIFA team were then taken to FedEx Field to tour a stadium that, with about 92,000 seats, may host the opening match of the World Cup if the US is chosen.

They were greeted by Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder.

The inspectors then flew to Florida where they visited the Sun Life Stadium and were then transported by helicopter to the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is a proposed site for the World Cup draw.

Mike Sophia, head of the Miami Bid Committee, claimed that the inspectors were impressed during their three-and-a-half hour visit.

“It went fantastic,” he said.

“The helicopter ride was a neat thing.

“They got to see the ocean.”