FIFA Executive discusses blueprint for the future

In the first meeting of the newly constituted FIFA Executive Committee, the outgoing President, Dr. Joao HAVELANGE, formally handed over to the former FIFA General Secretary, Joseph S. BLATTER, as his elected successor as FIFA President.

The following five new members were welcomed to the Executive : Dr. Nicolás Léoz (PARAGUAY), Ismail Bhamjee (Botswana), Amadou Diakite (Mali), Angel Maria Villar Llona (SPAIN) and Joseph Mifsud (Malta).

In his opening address to the Committee, Mr. BLATTER spoke of the need for the FIFA leadership to work together in a spirit of solidarity and unity to present football in its most positive and enjoyable light.

Mr BLATTER mentioned some of the Executive’s most important tasks in the years ahead, including not only the organisation of the various FIFA competitions but also more work to improve standards of refereeing, advances in sports medicine, research at an academic level for the better administration of football, support for humanitarian causes such as SOS Children’s Villages, and other projects.

Mr. BLATTER put forward a series of proposals for the Executive, not for decisions at the present meeting but for reflection between now and the next Committee meeting on 24/25 September, when certain decisions may be taken.

First, Mr. BLATTER’S suggestion was adopted that an outside consultancy agency should study the current structure of the FIFA General Secretariat and make proposals for a re-structuring to make it more functional and better to reflect FIFA’s de facto status as a major service organisation. It was agreed that there would be no changes in the present personnel of the General Secretariat pending this study.

The September meeting of the Executive will study proposals for appointments to the standing committees, these proposals to be made by the confederations on behalf of their federations.

The Committee agreed with the new President to drop his original concept of a permanent Executive Board and adopted instead the proposal to hold more frequent meetings of the Executive Committee itself, at least four times a year instead of only twice as at present.

The next Executive Committee meeting will discuss the idea of changing the timing of the FIFA presidential election to avoid it clashing with the World Cup finals, it having been noted that such a change would require a modification of the FIFA Statutes by Congress.

There was also discussion of a permanent presence of each of the six Confederations at the General Secretariat in Zurich to ensure continuity. It was mentioned that additional office space would become available after the completion of the Sonnenberg building adjacent to FIFA House, scheduled for July 1999. It would have to be clarified precisely to whom such a representative would report.

The Committee debated the question of the venue for the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Championship, following the withdrawal of the originally designated hosts, New Zealand, who however had since indicated that they would be able to stage the event after all. The Executive now voted finally to attribute the next U-17 finals to New Zealand, to be played in October/November 1999.

The dates for the next FIFA/Confederations’ Cup in MEXICO were set for 8 to 20 January, 1999. The teams competing will include MEXICO, the UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, Bolivia, Egypt, SAUDI ARABIA, Australia and either GERMANY or FRANCE.

FIFA Communications Division

PARIS, 09.07.1998