FIFA to Study Ways to Share World Cups

FIFA will discuss next month a new system for selecting World Cup host countries to ensure the tournament is shared among the six confederations, the world body said Tuesday.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter made a series of suggestions to the ruling 24-member Executive Committee in the wake of last week’s controversial vote that gave the 2006 World Cup to Germany over South Africa.

Of the 16 World Cups held since the tournament’s inception in 1930, Europe has staged 10, South America three and North America three. Asia will stage its first, in Japan and South Korea, in 2002.

Some of Blatter’s suggestions included:

* A scheduled rotation of the tournament from continent to continent.

* Limiting the number of candidates per continent.