Jordaan absent as FIFA inspectors arrive in Japan

By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

July 19 – FIFA’s team of inspectors arrived in Japan today to begin evaluating the candidates for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup but were unexpectedly missing Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of South Africa 2010, who had been expected to be part of the delegation.

Jordaan had been controversially appointed to the six-man panel headed by Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the President of the Chilean Football Association.

But when the team landed at Kansai Airport, 50 kilometres outside of Osaka, Jordaan was conscipious by his absence.

Jordaan’s appointment to the panel had been criticised by some of the bidders because of his close links to England.

FIFA confirmed that Jordaan will miss the first two evaluation visits while he ties up loose ends after the World Cup in South Africa.

The inspection team – which also includes Juergen Mueller, the head of event management at FIFA, David Fowler, the head of FIFA marketing, Julio Avellar, the coordinator in the FIFA World Cup office, and Wolfgang Eichler, FIFA’s senior communications advisor at the World Cup in South Africa – are due to stay in Japan until Thursday (July 22) before heading to South Korea and Australia, where Jordaan may join them.

Over the three-day period, the delegation will receive presentations on Japan’s bid and conduct inspections of key competition-related facilities and locations.

The delegation will spend one full day in Osaka, the proposed Host City for the opening and final matches of the 2022 championship, and two days in and around Tokyo.

Junji Ogura, the vice-chairman of the Japan 2022 Bid Committee and vice-president of Japan Football Association (JFA), was at the airport with Kunio Hiramatsu, the Mayor of Osaka City, and Mikio Araki, chairman of the Municipal Assembly, to officially welcome the delegation to Japan.

Ogura addressed the delegation and said: “The Japan Football Association and Japan 2022 Bid Committee are delighted to welcome you to Japan.

“As president of the Chile Football Federation, Harold was with the Chilean team in South Africa, where Chile, like Japan, got into the Round of 16.

“Indeed, most members of the delegation were working for FIFA in South Africa.

“As you all know, the World Cup ended on 11 July only last week.

“Harold then travelled to Switzerland, returned home to Chile, and has come to Japan today after stopping off again in Switzerland.

“For the next two-and-a-half months he and the delegation will be visiting the 11 countries and nine candidates.

“The delegation has a very tough schedule.

“The JFA and Bid Committee therefore want the inspection, which starts tomorrow, to run as efficiently as possible, and we will do everything we can to successfully communicate Japan’s bid concept.”

Mayne-Nicholls said: “”It’s a pleasure for us to come here to Japan today.

“It’s a pleasure to be in this beautiful country.

“As all of you know, Japan already hosted a World Cup a couple of years ago.

“We are coming here to check if the bid that they are submitting for the World Cup in 2022 is what FIFA is looking for for such a big event.

“The World Cup is the biggest event in the world, and we are very proud to host it every four years.

“After coming to Japan we will visit the other ten countries that are taking part in the nine bidding projects.

“We hope that after all our visits we will be able to hand in a very objective report to FIFA members to help them make their decision.

“It’s a pleasure to be here.

“We really thank all the people for their very warm welcome.

“We are sure we will enjoy Japan over the next four days.”

The delegation began its inspection by travelling to central Osaka by helicopter, with the Mayor pointing out key World Cup facilities en route.

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