China's "hopes of hosting the 2030 World Cup have been given a boost from FIFA," according to Graham Dunbar of the AP. Football's governing body proposed "giving its ruling council the power to decide that a continent could skip just one World Cup before hosting again." FIFA imposed a two-tournament block last October, barring European members from 2026 World Cup bidding because Russia is hosting in '18. That favored the North American co-hosting bid by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Now, FIFA "wants to formalize an amendment to its statutes" when members meet on May 11 in Manama, Bahrain. Ahead of next week's FIFA Congress, the governing body said that the flexibility in hosting would be allowed "if circumstances so require." Other proposed changes to FIFA's legal rules include "concentrating more decision-making powers" in the FIFA Bureau -- FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the six presidents of the continental confederations -- without needing to be ratified by the 37-member FIFA Council (AP, 5/3). WORLD SOCCER's Keir Radnedge reported proposed statute changes "expected to be approved would also see the one 'real' independent member of the compensation sub-committee replaced by a world federation insider." So Infantino and the presidents of Africa, Asia, Central/North America, Europe, Oceania and South America "expand their decision-making powers without even needing to offer Council the courtesy of immediate reference." A further amendment would "permit a return of the system" by which former President Sepp Blatter created taskforces to deal with specific issues. This has "already been approved by council" (WORLD SOCCER, 5/3).
'NEW BROOM': In London, Marina Hyde mused "can it really be only 14 months since FIFA's 'new broom' Gianni Infantino took office?" There are "strong" rumors -- denied at present -- that Infantino "will use the congress to push for replacement" of FIFA's ethics chiefs Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély, "a development which, it is suggested, would prompt a two-year hiatus in ongoing investigations." Broom-wise, the "newness or otherwise of Gianni has always reminded me of that famous Only Fools and Horses scene when Trigger declares mistily that he’s had the same broom for 20 years, before mentioning that it’s had 17 new heads and 14 new handles." His mate inquires, "How the hell can it be the same bloody broom then?" On this, "as with so much else, I’m with Trigger." No matter "how many new heads it has," a FIFA president "still feels very much the same bloody broom" (GUARDIAN, 5/3).
