Fifa’s World Cup plan condemned

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    Asamoah Gyan misses the penalty which would have taken Ghana to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup

    Ghana were the only African team to make the knock-out stages in 2010

    A senior Fifa Executive Committee member says the organisation’s plan for the next World Cup is “ludicrous”.

    Chuck Blazer, Secretary-General of Concacaf, is angry that the North and Central American and Caribbean zone did not get an extra spot for Brazil 2014.

    He questioned why Africa retained five qualifying places at the World Cup despite a poor showing in 2010.

    “We had a 67 percent success rate [in South Africa 2010], Africa had a 16 percent success,” he said.

    Mexico and the USA, who are Concacaf members, both reached the knock-out stages whilst only Ghana out of Caf’s six representatives in South Africa achieved that feat.

    Concacaf, which has 40 members, has three confirmed places plus a play-off spot, whilst the South American federation, which has only 10 members, could end up with six representatives in Brazil.

    “I’m a great supporter of South American football but for them to have a possible six countries out of ten is absurd,” Blazer said.

    “People say the hosts have always qualified as an extra but that is not true.

    “Everyone is protecting their own interests rather than doing what’s right.

    “If Africa can go from two places to five in the last 14 years, why can we not go from two to four?

    “This decision also means we will have to completely re-do our whole qualifying system,” he said.

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    Fifa’s World Cup plan condemned