Fifa agrees on rotation of World Cup finals from 2010

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FIFA, acting to restore harmony after the controversial decision to award the 2006 World Cup finals to Germany, yesterday embraced the principle of rotating future finals around the continents.

Fifa's executive committee unanimously supported a proposal by their president, Sepp Blatter, that from 2010 the finals would rotate among the world governing body's six continental confederations.

Blatter's move followed the furore caused on 6 July when the Fifa executive voted by 12 to 11 to award the 2006 event to Germany rather than South Africa. The World Cup has been staged nine times before in Europe but never in Africa.

The Fifa general secretary, Michel Zen Ruffinen, said that Blatter had also told the executive that the decision to award the World Cup to Germany was final and could not be overturned. South Africa, after taking legal advice, have called on Fifa to agree to take the matter to arbitration, arguing that there were irregularities in the executive committee vote.

However, Blatter said South Africa's move was "inappropriate" and was not backed by the African confederation. A reply was being sent to South Africa, Zen Ruffinen added.

Details of how the new rotation system would operate will be worked out by Fifa's strategic study committee, which is likely to meet before the end of the year. It would be fair to assume that Africa will be given the chance in 2010 and that a way will be found to give Europe more opportunities.

Some confederations, notably Oceania, have few nations capable of staging a 32-nation finals while Europe have several. The rotation plan was rejected by Fifa's Congress in 1996 but the controversy after last month's vote revived the issue.

Alec McGivan, the director of England's failed 2006 campaign, gave a cautious welcome to the plan, saying that his reaction was "favourable" but warning: "I think the principle is some way removed from the detail."

Another decision confirmed by Fifa yesterday was that the second Club World Championship will be held in Spain next summer with 12 teams taking part, four more than during this year's inaugural event in Brazil.