FIFA delays experiment with extra linesmen until 2008

ZURICH: FIFA has postponed an experiment to have additional linesmen patrolling the penalty areas at the world club championship in December and will instead trial the idea next year.

Sepp Blatter, president of world soccer's governing body, told a news conference on Monday that the Japan tournament which features the six continental club champions was too high profile.

"We will trial it next year in the women's under-17 World Cup in New Zealand or the women's under-20 World Cup in Chile," he said.

The plan is for an additional linesman to stand behind each goal and assist the referee with decisions on penalty-area incidents.

Blatter confirmed, however, that the smart-ball technology, which uses a microchip in the ball to send an instant message to the referee when a goal has been scored, would be used in Japan.

This year's tournament includes European champions AC Milan and South American champions Boca Juniors.

The winners of the December 16 final will pocket a first prize of $5 million, with the runners-up collecting $4 million.

World club in Japan again

The world club championship, which has been staged in Japan since 1980, will be played there again next year, but Blatter said a bidding process would determine where future events take place.

"In 2009 and 2010 it will be open for tender for other continents to try and get this important and very popular competition," he said.

Blatter added FIFA would be making $40 million available for the new referees assistance programme to help develop refereeing around the world.

"So much is at stake now in our football that refereering becomes more and more important so the money will be made available for the next three-and-a-half years to help improve standards around the world," he said.

Agencies

(China Daily 10/31/2007 page24)