South America gets 2014 World Cup

THE 2014 World Cup will be played in a South American country as part of FIFA’s policy to rotate the finals around the continents .

The decision was taken by FIFA’s executive committee in Zurich yesterday and world football’s governing body are also to consider a proposal to increase the number of teams competing in the finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany from 32 to 36 countries.

The proposal was made by the South Americans, who are furious the number of places available to their countries in finals has been cut, and the 2014 announcement was clearly aimed at soothing their ruffled feathers.

Meanwhile, Champions League matches could be played on artificial turf in three seasons from now, according to UEFA.

Europe’s governing body are so convinced synthetic pitches are the way forward that they have given the green light for five leagues to introduce pilot schemes.

Top-division fixtures will be played on artificial turf, with a view to introducing the new generation of plastic pitches in elite competition by 2005-06.

Rene Eberle, head of competitions at UEFA, said: “If all our criteria are met and our research over the next two years is positive, I see no reason why we could not have artificial surfaces in the Champions League by 2005-06.”