An Executive Committee meeting of the world’s football governing body FIFA began in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro last night amidst fears that it would revoke Nigeria’s right to host the U-17 World Cup, scheduled to kick off next month.
The FIFA Executive Committee meeting was scheduled to begin at 4pm local Brazilian time or 9pm in Nigeria. Among the subjects on its agenda, at its third meeting of the year, include the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament and all FIFA tournaments in 2009 and 2010. The meeting was being chaired by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. The committee will also receive reports and updates on, among other things, the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009, the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009, preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, as well as FIFA’s transfer matching system.
Daily Trust learnt from authoritative sources last night that hours before the meeting commenced, officials of the FIFA sent text and e-mail messages to Executive Committee members expressing regrets over their decision to award the hosting rights of the U-17 World Cup to Nigeria. They also detailed the Latin American nation of Mexico to be on standby following possible plans to withdrawal the championship from Nigeria.
The text message to FIFA bosses expressed disappointment over what it called the “non-challant attitude of the country towards the hosting right that was awarded over two years ago.” The message, dated September 27, 2009 [Sunday], also said, “Nice. It is just the price we are paying for having been stupid enough to trust the hosting right on Nigeria at the first feeling. We should have moved it from the onset. But we had to be nice when they are not. We can still move it and get it right, instead of been f—-d up”.
The message indicates that FIFA officials are aggrieved that despite all the promises made to the body by the Nigerian government, certain facilities are yet to be in place with only a few weeks to the start of the championship. They cited the Kano centre as an example, where they said training pitches are not yet ready even though a contract for the construction of the pitches was awarded to a German firm at a cost of N800 million. The FIFA medical team also expressed surprise that 90 percent of the medical facilities needed for the championship are not yet on ground. Daily Trust learnt that over N7billion released by the Federal Government has already been spent, with the LOC making an additional request for N3billion to enable them put finishing touches to the preparations.
A press conference is expected to be held in Rio de Janeiro early this month, and FIFA’s final decision on Nigeria’s hosting rights is expected to be announced there.
It would be recalled that at the opening of the on-going U-20 world football tournament in Egypt last week, a top FIFA official declared that Nigeria was not ready to host next month’s Under-17 World Cup.
FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, who is also chairman of its U-17 committee, told BBC Sports in Cairo that Nigeria must use Egypt’s preparations for the U-20 event as a catalyst to help this country conclude arrangements.
While praising the planning for the U-20 World Cup in Alexandria, Warner said, “This should serve as a catalyst to help Nigeria to be ready. As I speak to you now, Nigeria is not yet fully ready. I hope that some of this (Egypt’s planning) will pass off on to Nigeria.”