FIFA Deny Need for Voting System Reform

Despite controversy surrounding the voting system leading to the decision of the World Cup 2018 and 2022 hosts, FIFA are not looking to reform the set-up. The system has come under harsh criticism from the England bid team but also from soccer figures around the world though FIFA do not see it as an issue which needs resolving.

Many feel that the criteria for whom FIFA wanted to host the World Cup was not made clear to the bidding teams, with Russia and Qatar seemingly both favoured in order to develop a ‘new footballing nation’. If this was the main criteria than this would have made the bids from the likes of England and Spain/Portugal redundant from a very early stage with the England team in particular feeling that a lot of time and money was wasted on the bid,

FIFA’s general secretary Jerome Valcke defended the decisions made, saying: “We have not sat down to discuss a reform of the voting system. It’s not part of our discussions at the moment.”

“Yes, it is a political decision, but overall, I think reactions were positive. The decision was fairly well received by football fans. It shows that football is open to the world. Russia is a great footballing country and deserves it. And the Middle East is part of the family of football.”

Valcke also revealed that the bidding process to choose who would stage the 2026 World Cup would take place after 2018.