Football
9y

Decision to give Fox 2026 World Cup 'very strange' - Michael van Praag

FIFA presidential challenger Michael van Praag labelled the decision to hand the 2026 World Cup rights in north America to Fox without a bidding process as "very strange."

FIFA's secretary general Jerome Valcke has admitted the world governing body "did what we had to do" to ensure there was no legal action from Fox over moving the Qatar 2022 tournament to the winter.

Van Praag, who is one of three challengers to current president Sepp Blatter, said at UEFA's congress in Vienna: "I have read there was no tender and in 2015 that is not the way we work any more. It is very strange."

Van Praag, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan and former Portugal international Luis Figo are standing against Blatter in the May 29 election.

Blatter turned down a public televised debate and will not even address the UEFA Congress on Tuesday about his plans for a fifth term. Instead he will deliver his usual presidential address in the morning and the other candidates will speak at the end of congress.

Figo told reporters in Vienna he also backed greater financial transparency in FIFA, plus wanted a wider debate on introducing video technology and sin-bins into football.

^ Back to Top ^