August 01, 2007	Wednesday	Rajab 16, 1428

ZURICH, July 31: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was criticised by FIFA President Sepp Blatter here on Tuesday as a ‘very special and exclusive club’. Blatter, asked whether is was possible to organise the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after two failed attempts by Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympic Games, said the “IOC has always denied” an African and South American country the Games.

The last Olympics to be held in South America were in Mexico in 1968.

“The IOC is a club, a very special club. There are 115 members, 15 come from national federations, 15 from international federations and 15 are athletes. The other 70 members are co-opted or appointed,” Blatter added.

Under Blatter’s reign FIFA has installed a rotation system by continent which allowed South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup finals following Germany in 2006 and Japan in 2002.

Brazil, the only candidate bidding to host the 2014 World Cup, on Tuesday officially presented its bid at the headquarters of world football’s governing body FIFA in Zurich.—AFP