Fifa Congress Attended By All 204 Member Federations
Convening in the Middle East for the first time, today in Doha (Qatar), the Extraordinary FIFA Congress set a new landmark, with all 204 member associations attending to debate and determine the future constitution of football. Seven of the associations – Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cape Verde Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Turks and Caicos – were not entitled to vote for not having participated in the required number of FIFA competitions as stated in Art. 48 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes.
In his report to the 1,000 delegates, guests and media in attendance, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter expressed his satisfaction that the entire football family had come together on this important occasion, emphasising the strength that world football’s governing body had regained since the two Congresses in Seoul last year. ‘FIFA has overcome the turbulences of 2002 and is now stronger than ever. Our finances are solid and the pledges made in Seoul have either already been fulfilled or are on the verge of implementation,’ he commented.
Blatter also strongly countered recent demands from the G-14 group of European clubs for the bodies organising world and continental championships to cover the payment of players’ salaries during their release for these events. ‘FIFA invites the national associations to participate in its events and the associations receive prize money for their endeavours. FIFA will never make direct payments to individual clubs or players. It is up to the associations to deal with these matters when distributing the income they receive from these events.’
‘Football is strong,’ Blatter emphasised, adding that he was looking forward to 2010 when the FIFA World Cup(tm) will be held in Africa for the first time. ‘Africa, the world is waiting for you and the world of football is rewarding you for what you have done for the game.’
In his address, the FIFA President also referred to a number of recent events and controversies in the game. Most notably, he reiterated that every doping case was one case too many and he appealed to the entire football community to keep the game free of this scourge.
At the same time, Blatter issued a strongly-worded reminder that respect and discipline must be maintained. Referring to a recent incident in England, the President unequivocally stated that, ‘players have no right to threaten their association with boycotting a game simply because they are unhappy with a certain decision.’
In conclusion, the President highlighted the various humanitarian initiatives that FIFA and the associations are currently undertaking in cooperation with SOS Children’s Villages, the World Health Organisation and various other UN agencies, stressing that football will continue to accept its responsibilities and play a very active role in this area.
The gathering of the parliament of world football was formally opened by Qatar’s Heir Apparent, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who praised FIFA for making football the world’s most important game and for its relentless efforts to focus on development.
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