NASSAU, Bahamas — FIFA President Sepp Blatter called Thursday for American and Caribbean nations to get a fourth World Cup place as he stepped up his re-election drive. Addressing the CONCACAF Congress, Blatter said he believed that if the World Cup remained a 32-team event, teams from the region should be guaranteed four places.
CONCACAF, made up of countries from North and Central America and the Caribbean, currently has three World Cup berths with a fourth country fighting a playoff against a team from the Oceania zone.
His remarks come after the most successful World Cup in history for the region with three teams — the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica — advancing beyond the group stage for the first time at last year's Finals in Brazil.
Blatter, 79, is currently seeking a fifth term as the most powerful man in football.
The FIFA chief was showered with adulation from CONCACAF delegates following his address Thursday, with no fewer than 10 associations from the region voicing support in the upcoming election.
"CONCACAF membership is sending a clear message that we will continue to support president Blatter," CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb said.
Jamaican FA vice president Bruce Gaynor meanwhile urged fellow delegates to give their support to Blatter in next month's vote.
Blatter's opponents have expressed fears that horsetrading over the allocation of places at the 2018 World Cup could influence the vote. Europe also wants extra World Cup places and Blatter has in the past encouraged Africa to demand more.
FIFA's executive committee will decide on the distribution of World Cup places on May 30, a day after Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Michel Van Praag and Luis Figo go up against Blatter in the FIFA presidential election in Zurich. — Agencies
