Zhang Jilong must wait for confirmation

Published Oct. 10, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

FIFA appointed Chinese official Zhang Jilong to chair next Monday's meeting of the Olympic soccer tournament's organizing committee.

Zhang's appointment comes three weeks after African soccer president Issa Hayatou, an International Olympic Committee member, was mistakenly announced in the job. Soccer's governing body saids Zhang must be confirmed in the Olympic role by the executive committee three days later.

Zhang will attend that Oct. 20-21 session in Zurich, joining FIFA's 24-man ruling panel for the first time as a stand-in for Mohamed bin Hammam, who is serving a life ban for bribery.

Zhang, the interim Asian Football Confederation president while bin Hammam appeals his sanction, helped run soccer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

FIFA blamed a technical error for its website listing Hayatou to head its Olympic panel. The IOC ethics commission is investigating Hayatou over allegations he took kickbacks from FIFA's former marketing partner.