The UEFA Executive Committee approved the format of the European qualifying competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup among a number of key decisions during a meeting at the Hotel Hilton Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This meeting will be followed by the XXXV Ordinary UEFA Congress during which the elections for the UEFA EXCO will be held.
Among the candidates running for the post of member of the Executive Committee is MFA President Norman Darmanin Demajo.
The UEFA Executive Committee, chaired by UEFA President Michel Platini, met in Paris during the afternoon of Sunday 20 March and the morning of Monday 21 March.
The UEFA EXCO approved the format of the European qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, whereby the 53 participating teams will be split into 8 groups of 6 teams and 1 group of 5 teams. The 9 group winners will qualify for the World Cup and the 8 best runners-up will contest home-and-away play-offs to determine which additional 4 teams qualify and take up the remainder of the 13 slots allocated to the European confederation. This proposal will be sent to FIFA for ratification.
Recommendations made by the working group on corruption/match-fixing which focus on establishing a network of integrity officers around Europe involving all national associations and on fostering collaboration with state authorities were approved by the UEFA EXCO.
The regulations for the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Futsal Cup, the regulations for the qualifying competition of the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup, and the UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations, 2011 edition were also approved.
The UEFA President also expressed the sincere thanks of the entire European football family to former MFA president Dr Joseph Mifsud, for his 17-year involvement in the development and running of the European game as a member and a vice-president of the Executive Committee and other UEFA Committees.
The Executive Committee meeting will be followed by the XXXV Ordinary UEFA Congress on Tuesday at the Grand Palais in Paris. The Congress will start at 09.30CET on 22 March and is scheduled to end at approximately 16.30.
The main item on the agenda is the election for the seven available seats on the UEFA Executive Committee.
A total of 13 representatives from UEFA’s national associations have submitted their candidature for election on the UEFA Executive Committee for the four-year period 2011-2015.
The terms of office of seven members of the UEFA Executive Committee are expiring in 2011 – ?enes Erzik (Turkey), Gilberto Madaíl (Portugal), Joseph Mifsud (Malta), Mircea Sandu (Romania), Grigoriy Surkis (Ukraine), Liutauras Varanavi?ius (Lithuania), Ángel María Villar Llona (Spain).
Six of the Executive Committee members whose period in office is expiring, are standing for re-election. They are: ?enes Erzik (Turkey), Gilberto Madaíl (Portugal), Mircea Sandu (Romania), Grigoriy Surkis (Ukraine), Liutauras Varanavi?ius (Lithuania), Ángel María Villar Llona (Spain). Dr Joe Mifsud is not standing for re-election as the MFA have submitted the nomination of MFA President Norman Darmanin Demajo.
In fact, completing the list of 13 candidates are: François De Keersmacker (Belgium), Norman Darmanin Demajo (Malta), Sergey Fursenko (Russia), Peter Gilliéron (Switzerland) Ivan Hašek (Czech Republic), Grzegorz Lato (Poland), Borislav Mihaylov (Bulgaria).