No chance of 2018 WC in S America, Africa: Blatter

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Associated Press

Posted online: Monday , February 18, 2008 at 09:00:47
Updated: Monday , February 18, 2008 at 09:19:39

Madrid, February 18: South America and Africa have no chance of hosting the 2018 World Cup.

"Of all five continents available to present, South America and Africa will not be allowed to," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said. "If we hadn't taken the decision to have a rotation policy in the first place, Africa would never had had the chance to host the World Cup, neither would South America."

FIFA's executive committee scrapped the rotation policy in October after it led to South Africa being picked to host the 2010 event and Brazil for 2014.

Blatter also said the joint bid of Netherlands-Belgium was the first to officially present it's 2018 candidacy to FIFA.

The 2018 host will be selected at an executive committee meeting in 2011.

Blatter, who was in the Spanish capital to pay tribute to Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano, also said it wasn't likely that a soccer ball with a computer chip would be in use by then either.

"(The chip) is complicated and expensive ... is it really worth changing things for what turns out to be one case per year?" Blatter said. "The game will lose its fun and no longer be a talking point among fans."

Refereeing should be improved and Blatter said that a two-referee system would soon be tested to keep the sport from relying on the goal-line technology.

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