Mired in a corruption scandal, FIFA has decided to delay the bidding process to pick a host country for the 2026 World Cup.
“This is nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being,” Jerome Valcke, the FIFA’s secretary general, told reporters in Samara, Russia, on Wednesday.
FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, simultaneously confirmed Valcke’s comments in a statement, saying its executive committee will discuss the bidding process at a later date.
“It was decided to place the administrative process on hold for the 2026 FIFA World Cup bidding due to the current situation,” the statement said.
FIFA needs to reform to avoid an image of being a corrupt organization, Valcke said, before adding no major violations took place when giving Russia the bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
According to Valcke, the bid process for the 2026 competition was expected to begin soon, with the vote scheduled in 2017. The United States, Canada and Mexico are expected to compete to hold the tournament.
It is still unknown when FIFA will elect a new president. Sepp Blatter announced last week he would be resigning after winning a fifth term, though he maintained he was not involved in the corruption scandal rocking the organization.
(h/t Bloomberg)
