March 28 (Reuters) – FIFA is putting its entire executive
committee on the organising body of the World Cup after fears
about the progress of preparations for Brazil in 2014.
“To underline the significance of the FIFA World Cup for
world football’s governing body, the complete FIFA Executive
Committee is now, for the first time, part of this
decision-making forum which is responsible for monitoring and
organising each edition of FIFA’s flagship event,” the body said
on Wednesday.
FIFA said Danny Jordaan, chief executive of South Africa’s
organising committee for the 2010 World Cup, and Alexei Sorokin,
head of the Russian 2018 organising committee, would also be
involved.
Preparations for the tournament in Brazil have been dogged
by delays in the building of stadiums and other infrastructure
such as airports, local transport connections and hotels.
Those worries have been increased by plans to have teams
travelling to different parts of the vast country for their
group matches rather than staying in the same venue.
FIFA has also become exasperated at delays over a so-called
World Cup bill which would temporarily over-ride local laws
which ban the sale of alcohol in stadiums and guarantee
discounted tickets for students and old-age pensioners.
FIFA confirmed that secretary-general Jerome Valcke, who
infuriated Brazilians by saying local organisers needed “a kick
up the backside”, had taken part in a meeting of the organising
committee in Zurich on Wednesday.
“Jerome Valcke attended the meeting as the person in charge
of the FIFA World Cup organisation at FIFA,” said soccer’s
governing body in a separate statement.
Brazil sports minister Aldo Rebelo had called for Valcke,
who has repeatedly said that the bill should have been passed in
2007, to be replaced.
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