World football will undergo a rethink over the coming years in a bid to make the game more attractive by the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Friday.
FIFA’s executive committee accepted at a meeting in Zurich to set up a task force with footballing officials, coaches, players, referees and medical experts to come up with “ways to improve football in all areas”.
“They will assess the present situation of football with the laws of the game, and rules and regulations, to see if there’s something we can do to make football more attractive,” Blatter told journalists.
Any changes that emerged from “Task Force Football 2014” will be applied at the World Cup in Brazil, he added.
Referring to criticism of the game at the World Cup in South Africa, Blatter said it could examine ways of making the first group stage of the World Cup finals more competitive.
Earlier this month, football’s rulemakers, the International FA Board (IFAB), which includes FIFA, also agreed to reconsider the introduction of goal-line technology in the game, with technical tests to be carried out over the coming months.
Calls for the introduction of goal-line technology were amplified after England midfielder Frank Lampard had a goal ruled out even though the ball clearly crossed the line in a last-16 match with Germany in South Africa.
Blatter has been one of the opponents of electronic aids, such as video replays and goalmouth cameras, to help referees spot match incidents in the ever faster modern game.
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