FIFA on Thursday rejected north and central American demands for four full places in football's 2014 World Cup as it granted host Brazil an automatic berth under a broadly unchanged system. The executive committee of world football's governing body decided that South America's CONMEBOL would keep its "4.5" qualifying berths alongside the host -- four plus another decided in a play-off against a side from another continent. Overall the balance between the different continents among the 32 participants in the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil will be based on the same principle as in 2006 and 2010, according to FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke. The North America, Central America and Caribbean football confederation (CONCACAF) had been seeking an additional full berth -- a total of four instead of 3.5. "CONCACAF was not so happy but finally they have to admit that the huge majority of the executive committee wanted to maintain the principle that has prevailed in the past," FIFA President Sepp Blatter told journalists. Africa will revert to 4.5 World Cup places, after gaining one additional slot in the 2010 World Cup because of host South Africa's automatic qualification. Europe kept 13, while Asia and Oceania's allocation of 4.5 and 0.5 respectively were unchanged. However, the fixed pattern of playoffs between the weakest of the qualifiers in the Americas on one hand, and Asia and Oceania on the other, was changed. They will now be arranged by a random draw instead, FIFA said.
