FIFA World Cup probe verdict on November 17

World football chief Sepp Blatter confirmed on Friday that the verdict of a FIFA probe into the controversial 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding race would be given on November 17.

The FIFA president also said the governing body’s executive committee had decided to press ahead with the announcement of the host nations as scheduled on December 2, despite the controversy dogging the race.

FIFA earlier this month launched a two-pronged investigation into allegations of corruption in the bidding process, as well as illicit collusion between some of the bidders, following a British newspaper report.

The ethics committee in charge of the probe “will meet on November 15, 16 and 17 in Zurich,” a bullish Blatter told journalists, confirming dates given informally by the committee’s chief.

“The ethics committee will announce its verdict on November 17.”

Changes were made to the format of the star-studded final bid presentations in Zurich, splitting them over two days instead of one, and supervised voting procedures to choose the 2018 and 2022 hosts on December 2 were finalised.

“This is enough time to take adequate steps if something serious should happen at the meeting on November 17,” Blatter added.

“It’s an uncomfortable situation for FIFA but we have the necessary instruments to see we react the proper way.”

England, Russia and joint bids by Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium are in the running to host the 2018 World Cup.

For 2022, the contenders are Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United States.

Blatter, who will have the casting vote in case of a tie, inisted that there was “nothing wrong” with the voting system and that the ballot by the nominally 24-strong executive committee would remain secret.

FIFA has already provisionally suspended two executive committee members pending the outcome of the probe into alleged vote-selling, following a report by British newspaper The Sunday Times.

“If and when people are suspended for the vote on December 2, they will not be replaced,” Blatter said.

The Sunday Times ran a second report and video on Sunday by undercover journalists posing as lobbyists, which included reported remarks by ex-FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen about Spain-Portugal and Qatar’s bids.

On Thursday, the chief of the joint Spanish-Portugal bid, Miguel Angel Lopez, denied allegations of collusion with Qatar after Spain was notified that it was under the spotlight.

Nonetheless, Blatter declined to identify which bidding countries might be involved in FIFA’s investigations.

The corruption claims have left a bitter taste at FIFA in the wake of other, similar scandals that hit world football’s decision-makers in the 1990s and 2000s, and ahead of elections for the body’s president next year.

Blatter questioned the motives behind the revelations and the methods used by the newspaper.

But he also accepted that the decision to pick the hosts for two World Cups simultaneously for the first time might have affected the race.

“I’m not convinced now that it was the right decision,” he said, underlining that the growing success of one of the world’s biggest sporting events was such that “passion goes beyond reality”.