FIFA's Executive Committee has rejected a proposal to expand the next two World Cup finals to 36 teams and has backtracked on its promise to give Oceania an automatic place in the tournament.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter had made an election promise to give Oceania a guaranteed qualifying place but was defeated, he said, by democracy as the 24-man executive voted 22-1 to ditch a South American proposal to expand the tournament by four teams.
Blatter, the 24th voting member of the committee, abstained.
But to placate the South Americans, FIFA also agreed on Saturday to return the playoff place they lost when Oceania was awarded an automatic place last December. Oceania now has the same playoff place it previously had.
The decision led to the furious Oceania delegate storming out of the meeting, after the vote was taken.
He returned to witness the post-meeting news conference in which Blatter was asked how he felt about backing out of one of his election pledges -- to give Oceania a place at the finals.
"You win some and you lose some," said Blatter. "I had to bow to the democracy of FIFA."
AMBIGUOUS SITUATION
Blatter blamed Oceania's fate on the "ambiguous situation" surrounding Australian soccer and New Zealand's poor performance at the Confederations Cup finals in France this month, where they were heavily defeated in all three group matches.
Blatter said the decision to opt for 32 finalists for the 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments was taken after consultation studies with fans and was "the right solution."
Franz Beckenbauer, the president of Germany's 2006 World Cup Organising Committee, said: "In our view the current form is optimal. Even though we have the greatest amount of respect for the (South American) proposal, it has become quite clear that there could not be a transparent or fair set up for 36 teams."
Regarding Oceania, Blatter said he would "do my utmost to bring them back into the FIFA family" and dropped a clear hint that, with four teams taking playoff places, Oceania could host a playoff mini-tournament for the World Cup finals.
The president of the Oceania confederation Basil Scarsella of Australia was not impressed. "I don't think this is a moral, ethical or commercial decision. Simply a political one that does no favours for FIFA of the development of the game," he said.
He said Blatter's explanation regarding Australia and New Zealand was short-term opportunism to justify a long-term decision. "FIFA is grasping for straws to justify it," he said. "It's a disaster for Oceania."
SOME SWEETENERS
Blatter suggested Oceania could appeal but Scarsella said there was no challenge mechanism. "We have to accept it, but expect some sweeteners," he said.
As well as a World Cup playoff mini-tournament, Blatter suggested Oceania could be the venue for future Club World Championship tournaments organised by FIFA. The next one, he said, will be played in 2005 and no venue had been fixed.
FIFA had initially given the proposal for 36 teams put forward by the South American CONMEBOL confederation a guarded welcome but, after a detailed investigation of the logistical problems of increasing the numbers, it was voted out.
However, with South America having lost a qualifying place for the 2006 finals after FIFA ruled last year that the defending champions, currently Brazil, would not get automatic qualification, FIFA was anxious to please them.
"We have to find a solution to make them (CONMEBOL) happy again but in this case everybody was unanimous," said UEFA president Lennart Johansson, who added that the reason for the U-turn on Oceania's qualifying position was playing standards.
"CONMEBOL also have a standard on the pitch," he said. "They lost the winner (Brazil) and then another half-place. If you make a mistake you must correct it. It was too early to give them (Oceania) direct entry to the World Cup but it doesn't mean we stay with this for the future."
Australia have been the dominant force in Oceania over recent years but have failed to reach the World Cup finals after losing playoffs to Argentina, Uruguay, Scotland and Iran.
Julio Grondona, head of the Argentine federation and a FIFA vice president, thanked UEFA for their backing.
"I have to thank Lennart Johansson because he was a fundamental factor in this decision," he said.
"He and (UEFA chief executive) Gerhard Aigner understood us and backed us. Without that it would not have been possible to once again have the four and a half places."
