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 Tuesday, December 7
Over-age players won't cost Brazil
 
Reuters

  TOKYO -- Brazil will not be suspended from the next World Cup even if found guilty of fielding over-age players in a youth tournament, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday.

Blatter, speaking at a news conference hours before the preliminary draw for the 2002 World Cup, said Brazil would not suffer the fate of Mexico, suspended by FIFA in the past from all international football for using over-age players.

"I can tell you definitely that Brazil will not be suspended from the World Cup whatever the outcome of the investigation," he said.

Brazil, the only country to have taken part in all 16 previous World Cups, is facing a FIFA investigation following allegations that the documents of three players who appeared in the South American under-17 championship last year were falsified.

Blatter said a FIFA rule change stipulated that teams could only be sanctioned in the same age group in which an offence was committed. Brazil could thus be suspended only from under-17 tournaments, he added.

He said Ecuador were also being investigated over similar allegations. Like Brazil, they could not be banned from the World Cup.

Mexico was suspended from international football for two years for using over-age players and missed the 1990 World Cup as a result.

Blatter made it clear at his news conference that he still backed South Africa as host for the 2006 World Cup finals. Blatter, who was elected FIFA president last year on a platform of support for the South African bid, said he had not changed his view since.

South Africa is one of five candidates. The others are Brazil, England, Germany and Morocco.

FIFA's 24-strong executive committee will select the venue in July, and Blatter said he would not express opinions on the candidates while the campaign was under way.

"I should remain neutral but I haven't changed my mind," he said.

He also explained the host would be chosen by a majority vote of the executive committee at a meeting in Zurich on July 5 and 6. He said if no candidate received an absolute majority the country with the least votes would be eliminated and there would be further rounds of voting until a clear winner emerged.

Blatter said he was still in favor of the World Cup being staged every two years rather than every four years at present, but that any change could not be made until after the international soccer calendar was completely harmonized, which FIFA hoped to achieve by 2004.

He said he expected FIFA's World Club Championship, being staged for the first time next month in Brazil, to become a two-yearly event, alternating with the Confederations Cup, a tournament for winners of continental championships.

Blatter said FIFA was discussing with Japan and South Korea the possibility of staging the next Confederations Cup in those countries in June 2001, using them as a test for the World Cup finals the following year.

FIFA's Women's World Cup, next scheduled for 2003, has been brought forward to 2002 as part of a campaign to promote the women's game, Blatter said.

 


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