Paris, June 29: FIFA's Executive Committee has rejected a proposal to expand the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany from 32 to 36 teams. During a press conference at the Hotel Sofitel in Paris on Saturday (June 28), FIFA officials said that they voted against the increasing number of teams for the 2006 and 2010 World Cup finals. "The story 32, 36, 48, 56, 128, 256, 204 teams or whatever you want, we are fed up. It' finished. It's finished for 2006 but also for 2010, we've come to the decision that we don't touch anymore, until 2010, the sacrosanct principle of 32 teams. We will keep 32 teams. It is mathematically fair, it is transparent, it is comprehensible," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter. The South American confederation CONMEBOL had proposed the increase from the current 32 teams after their allocation was reduced by half a slot --a place in a playoff-- which was removed last year to give Oceania an automatic finals place. However, to placate the South Americans FIFA agreed to return their half-place at the expense of Oceania, a decision that led to the furious Oceania delegation storming out of the meeting.


FIFA initially gave the CONMEBOL proposal a guarded welcome but, after the German organisers carried out an investigation into the logistical problems, president Sepp Blatter came out strongly against it.


South American lost a further qualifying place for the 2006 tournament after FIFA ruled that the defending champions, Brazil, would not get automatic qualification.


On Saturday it was voted out by a majority of 22-1 --Oceania being the only dissenting voice with Blatter abstaining. The result was met by an angry walkout from the Oceania delegates.


During the conference, Sepp Blatter paid a tribute to Marc-Vivien Foe, who died while playing in the a Confederations Cup match on Thursday (June 26), and observed a minute of silence in memory of the Cameroon midfielder.


Bureau Report