By Duncan Mackay in Tokyo
December 15 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has encouraged Japan to bid for the 2019 Women’s World Cup to help aid the country’s recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsuanmi which devastated it earlier this year.
Blatter, who last week visited the disaster-hit areas in Miyagi Prefecture to see for himself the damage caused by the disaster which killed more than 15,000 people, plans to bring up the proposal at the FIFA Executive Committee, which is due to start here tomorrow.
Japan won the women’s World Cup in Germany earlier this year, a victory which provided a much-needed boost for the country.
“Japan has proven the organisational capacities when they organised the FIFA World Cup in 2002 together with your neighbours in South Korea,” Blatter said.
“Yes, it would be good to have other international competitions and let’s just wait until the next executive committee of FIFA and maybe we will have another competition to offer to Japan.
“But it would be something in connection with women’s football.
“The Women’s World Cup has been played in China, the first one in 1989, and it hasn’t been back to Asia since.
“Now you have the world champions and while the next one has already been given to Canada in 2015, it’s open and we should come back to Asia with the women’s championship.”
Blatter added one of the quake-hit areas will host next year’s Club World Cup, which is currently being held in Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture, and Yokohama.
“This year, we had to stick on these two cities but next year, it’s all open,” he said.
“And I’m sure, together with the Local Organising Committee and my friend [Japan Football Association President] Junji [Ogura], we will find a solution.
“I am totally in favour of using one of the stadia – Sendai is a possibility – but we will find out which is the best one in order to not disturb the competition.
“The distances are so short now with planes, so it shall be done.”
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