'The $10,000 question'

World Cup most likely to stay at 32 teams

PARIS (AP) -- The plan to expand the 2006 World Cup by four teams to 36 most likely will be rejected by FIFA's executive committee, which instead could grant South America a chance for a fifth berth.

South America's governing body proposed the expansion because it was angry at being cut from five teams to four. It contends an expansion would give more continents better representation.

FIFA's executive committee gave tentative approval last month and told South America to develop a workable format. The committee meets Saturday to decide.

European soccer head Lennart Johannson, who had been the only member of FIFA's 24-man executive committee outside South America to back the proposal, said Friday that plan was pretty much assured defeat.

"I think we stay with 32 teams," he said.

Soccer officials said the executive committee was considering having the fifth-place team in South American qualifying advance to a playoff against the Oceania champion or an Asian team. The executive committee in December had guaranteed Oceania a berth for the first time.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Friday he did not know what playoff plan would muster a majority in the executive committee.

"That's the $10,000 question," he said. "If you can give the answer, I can sleep tonight."

Under South America's most-discussed plan, the nine group winners and top five second-place teams would advance to the second round, with the other four second-place teams going to a playoff.

"FIFA will do the sensible thing," Chuck Blazer, the U.S. member of the executive committee, said Friday. "I would like to see it stay at 32 teams. I can't imagine any combination of 36 comparing favorably with 32."

Johansson had announced in late May he was willing to back the proposal, but he said South America had run out of time.

"They have found how difficult it is to arrange this in a reasonable time frame and in a manner that is understandable," he said.

Blatter said a 36-nation World Cup would confuse fans because only some second-place teams would advance or an extra playoff would have to be sandwiched between.

"They will not understand -- it is so difficult to cut down 36," he said.

The first round of the World Cup had eight groups of four teams in 1998 and 2002, with the top two teams in each group advancing.

Under the allotment approved by the executive committee, Europe was awarded 14 spots, including host Germany, a drop from 15 at the 2002 tournament.

Africa remained at five teams, and Asia stayed at four teams with the chance to get another berth in a playoff. North and Central America and the Caribbean, which had three spots, could get a fourth through a playoff with the No. 5 Asian team.

 

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