FIFA World Cup Debrief Aids Organizers of Brazil 2014 Tournament

(ATR) FIFA today begins a World Cup debriefing in Zurich, a two-day summit designed to pass on the lessons learnt to organizers of the Brazil 2014 tournament.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and secretary general Jerome Valcke are involved in internal discussions on all aspects of the organisation and staging of the month-long event that was widely acclaimed as a big success.

"It is predominantly a FIFA tournament debrief with FIFA and LOC staff across the different operational departments," a FIFA spokesman tells Around the Rings.

"This is a common event after all our tournaments. Naturally, the World Cup is far bigger, and therefore there are more areas to cover in greater depth."

Transport congestion in Johannesburg early in the June 11 to July 11 tournament and the blocs of empty seats seen at stadiums throughout the competition - two of the main minus points for 2010 organisers - will be among agenda items subject to close scrutiny.

Brazil 2014 chairman Ricardo Teixeira and his colleagues on the organising committee for the next World Cup will ultimately benefit from the transfer of knowledge from South Africa organizers.

This week's meetings are being held behind closed doors and the FIFA spokesman said the discussions will remain "internal". No press briefing will be held at the conclusion of the debrief.

World Cup CEO Danny Jordaan is not directly involved in the debrief but has conveyed his thoughts to FIFA and suggested areas for improvement in the preparations and staging of the 2014 tournament.

He is currently combining the winding down of World Cup operations back in South Africa with a role as technical advisor on FIFA's six-man inspection team visiting the nine bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Next week, the FIFA inspection team led by Chilean FA president Harold Mayne-Nicholls will visit Holland and Belgium, who have submitted a joint bid for 2018. England, Russia and Spain-Portugal are its rivals in the race to stage the World Cup after Brazil.

The FIFA delegation has already visited Japan, South Korea and Australia, who along with Qatar and the USA are bidding for the 2022 World Cup.

FIFA Lifts Iraq Suspension Threat

Iraq's football team is free to compete at the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar after FIFA gave the country's football authorities another year to prepare for leadership elections.

"FIFA has taken note of the situation which surrounded the elections of the new IFA board on 24 July 2010 with the holding of two general assemblies in Erbil and in Baghdad," FIFA said in a statement released Monday.

"Under these circumstances, the case was referred to the FIFA Emergency Committee which decided to extend the current mandate of the IFA Executive Committee for one year, meaning until 31 July 2011."

FIFA added: "This deadline should allow both groups to settle their differences and to thus permit the election of a new board."

The decision paves the way for Asian Cup champions Iraq to defend their title at the Jan. 7 to 29 tournament in Qatar next January.

Last month, the Iraqi FA elections were postponed after too few delegates travelled to the Kurdish city of Arbil, where FIFA had ordered they take place due to security concerns.

The impasse followed allegations that Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government had attempted to oust top officials from sport bodies suspected of having ties to the Sunni-led former government of Saddam Hussein.

IFA president Hussain Sa’eed was previously a senior official on the Olympic committee controlled by Saddam's son Uday. He faces a challenge from Falah Hassan, who is backed by the government.

FIFA had previously twice suspended Iraq. Last November, the country was banned from competition after Iraq's Olympic Committee tried to dissolve the FA because of alleged financial and administrative irregularities.

FIFA revoked the ban in March on condition of the new elections.

Iraq's first matches since last November when they won the United Arab Emirates International Cup will be friendlies against Yemen and Palestine next month. At the 2011 Asian Cup, Iraq will play Iran, North Korea and the United Arab Emirates at the group stage.

Withreporting from Mark Bisson

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