FRANCE 98 – Excerpts from Joseph S. Blatter's Press Conference

The new FIFA president, Joseph S. BLATTER, held a press conference at the International Media Centre (CIM) at the Porte de Versailles in PARIS on Saturday 27 June. He took the opportunity to address the topics he will have to face in future.

Competition

“We’re entering the second phase of the competition. The mentality will change, now that every match is decisive. For the first time, the “golden goal” rule will be applied at a World Cup. The round of sixteen is made up of ten European teams, four South American teams, one from the CONCACAF zone and one African team. I would have liked to see a more international group, but that’s the way of the game. The round of sixteen promises to be very interesting as the teams are well matched. The public has shown enormous support, as is shown by the strong presence of those without tickets and the great number of television spectators.”

Refereeing:

“The FIFA president, Joao HAVELANGE, intervened early in the competition to ask the referees to respect the rules, especially the rules about tackling from behind and the five second limit for the goalkeeper. In any case, FIFA cannot contest decisions made by referees on the pitch. It’s important not to make football too scientific. An excess of technology must be avoided, even if the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has access to video tape that can serve as witness. In the same vein, The English football federation is heading a study of a system that will show whether or not a ball has crossed the goal line. However, practices like these must not be systematically controlled. If football becomes too scientific, it becomes cold. Football is not a science; it’s passion and emotion. There always have been and always will be refereeing errors. Some teams may feel they were wronged. The CAMEROON Football Federation, for example, sent us a non-official letter of protest that is currently under review by the Referees Committee and the CFO. These complaints are infrequent and we can be proud of the quality of the refereeing since the beginning of the World Cup. Refereeing needs to be professionalised in order to avoid errors as much as possible.”

Security:

“I would like to congratulate and thank the Ministry of the Interior for all the security measures put in place at the different venues. After the serious incidents that took place in MARSEILLE, and the very serious incidents in LENS that appear to have more of a rapport with terrorism than with hooliganism, French authorities knew how to take the necessary precautions. It is important to note that we have had to deal with violence unrelated to football. I hope that in future World Cups, no-one tries to damage the sport of football. Popular support needs to be maintained. The teams involved will under no circumstances be punished. We do however have full confidence in the French justice system to severely punish those responsible for the aforementioned incidents. Every possible measure will be taken to ensure that matches go off without a hitch and that spectators have nothing to worry about.”

Ticketing:

“The ticket distribution system needs to be drastically overhauled in light of current difficulties. However, it is impossible to avoid all attempts at forgery. As for the PSI case (CFO authorised tour operator that admitted the theft of a large number of tickets), it is not FIFA’s domain. French legal authorities are in control of the case, and an investigation is underway. Responsibility will soon be established in this case.”

Joseph S. BLATTER and the FIFA:

“The unity of the football family is more important than individual prestige. It is primordial to work together, and to avoid any friction. To develop football as a sport, we must not have just one program to impose on federations, but on the contrary, we must identify the needs of each one based on three points: administration and organisation, technical expertise, and economic problems. We must concentrate our efforts on Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and a few European federations. In order to overcome this obstacle, FIFA must listen to the players, the coaches, and the referees. In order to do this, it is absolutely necessary to support the development of unions in each of these categories. We should encourage friendly matches between clubs and national teams from different continents so that the disparities between the continents may be reduced. Such friendly matches would allow teams to harden themselves and to prepare for the long haul. For these meetings to happen, World Cup qualifying phases should be the same so that clubs can make players available to their national teams. It is also necessary to engage in dialogue with European governmental authorities regarding the laws concerning hooliganism and the Bosman arrest. To improve the football environment and help the sport to live up to its name, a club owner cannot have two teams in the same championship. We have also made the decision to have only male referees at male matches and vice versa.”

The executive committee on 9 July:

“The meeting of FIFA’s Executive Committee, which will take place on 9 July, will have as its main objective to appoint new members to their positions. Two decisions must be made: the appointment of the organising country of the next World Championship for Under-17’s (which will take place in 1999) and a decision regarding where the next Executive Committee will take place. Several other points will be addressed: changes in the administrative structure of FIFA, the nomination of a Secretary General, and the functions of Committee members. In any case, concerning these three points, decisions will be made during the September meeting. With these modifications, FIFA will become more of a service organisation to professional structures than an administration.”

The next FIFA competitions:

“The first competition will be the FIFA-COCA-COLA Youth Cup in the spring of 1999. It will take place in Nigeria and involve 24 teams. It will be followed by the World Championship of Under-17’s. The host country remains to be chosen from the following: Thailand, Portugal, Croatia, England, Iran, New Zealand, and Australia.

“Regarding the next World Cups, FIFA, which is satisfied with the French organisation, has decided to maintain the principle of moving around teams during the first round. In 2002, each host country (KOREA REPUBLIC and JAPAN ) will host 32 of the 64 matches. During the first round, sixteen teams will stay in the KOREA REPUBLIC and sixteen in JAPAN. As for the 2006 World Cup, it is logical that it will take place in Africa.”