FIFA INCREASES WORLD CUP BOUNTY

The Fifa council agreed to increase the overall prize money for the World Cup by 12 per cent, from $358 million in the 2014 edition to of $400 million for Russia 2018. Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the hike was “reward” for teams who compete at such a high level in the World Cup. The council meeting, the first to be held in India, took place in Kolkata, also the venue of the final and thirdplace match of the U-17 World Cup. Fifa will also enforce enhanced regulations for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, and appointed members of the Bid Evaluation Task Force to monitor proposals after becoming embroiled in several scandals over the tournament’s hosting rights. The regulations were approved by the Fifa’s bureau of council on September 6 and ratified by the council. “We want the bidding process to be bullet-proof. So the criteria is more stringent for bidding,” Infantino said here on Friday. The hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup in 2019, for which India has already submitted its bid, will be evaluated and decided by early next year, Infantino said. “Two World Cups were held in Asia. We had a very successful U-20 World Cup (in South Korea, earlier this year) and a successful U-17 World Cup in India. We have recieved several requests from several countries to host the competition in 2019. “This will now be analysed by the administration and presented to the council for its decision,” he added. Infantino refrained from talking up India’s chances to host the U-20 event. “Certainly, that is an element which will be considered. There are other elements as well which will be considered. We expect to take a decision at the beginning of next year for 2019, and then for 2020 and onwards we take a decision in October 2018.” Infantino said India’s passion for football was evident, and would only enrich its global appeal.