CONCACAF likely to vote as bloc for FIFA president

CONCACAF likely to vote as bloc for FIFA president

Published Mar. 8, 2011 8:48 p.m. ET

The 35 CONCACAF members are likely to vote as a bloc at the June 1 election for FIFA president, according to the secretary general for the North and Central America and Caribbean region.

Chuck Blazer said discussion on the issue will intensify during the CONCACAF Congress in Miami on May 3.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is seeking a fourth term and may be opposed by Mohamed bin Hammam in the vote by the FIFA Congress. Pele has suggested UEFA President Michel Platini might also run.

CONCACAF has 35 votes, while Europe, Africa and Asia have about 50 apiece. South America and Asia have about 10 each.

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''We have by and large had a history of voting collectively, so each national association places its own vote but does it I think in what will be the best interest collectively (of) the confederation, depending on the discussions that we would have at that time,'' Blazer said Tuesday during a conference call.

The only American on FIFA's ruling 24-man executive committee, Blazer is still upset the group didn't increase CONCACAF's berths for the 2014 World Cup to four. The committee voted last week that CONCACAF will remain at three automatic berths, with the chance for a fourth in a playoff.

''They knew I was angry when I sat in the room with them,'' he said. ''It was a situation where they were each maintaining their own interests.''

Because of the decision, CONCACAF will spend the next 10 days working on a revised World Cup qualifying format. The initial proposal would have required 24 games and eliminated the chance for the U.S. and Mexico to play each other.

Blazer also said CONCACAF may not send a representative to the 2015 Copa America, South America's quadrennial championship. The U.S. went to the 2007 tournament and Mexico is going this year.

''Don't put any bet on it happening the next time,'' he said.

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