ZURICH — FIFA President Sepp Blatter has told the governing body's anti-corruption advisers to stop publicly criticizing his ruling board colleagues. Blatter said he met the expert panel led by Mark Pieth Thursday and corrected remarks the Swiss law professor made in Denmark last week. Pieth told a sports governance conference that “older” FIFA executive committee members were resisting changes after a series of bribery and vote-buying scandals damaged football's governing body. Blatter said several colleagues “were not happy about some declarations made” when they discussed his reform mission Friday. Blatter insisted “there is no opposition in the FIFA executive committee toward the reform process.” Pieth's panel is preparing further anti-corruption proposals which FIFA's 209-member nations will vote on next year. Blatter used his news conference to renew FIFA's call for world football to fight against match-fixing and illegal betting, and promised that players would be protected if they reported attempts to corrupt games. Blatter announced a new panel which will shape changes to FIFA's legal statutes in consultation with member associations. It is composed of the secretary generals and legal directors of FIFA and its six continental confederations. It meets for the first time next month. Health fear dismissed FIFA also refuted suggestions that it has put commercial considerations before the health of players in deciding on kickoff times for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. FIFA Thursday said the north-east coastal cities of Natal, Recife and Salvador each have two of their four group-stage matches starting at 1 P.M. local time (1600 GMT). Manaus, in the western Amazon rainforest, hosts two matches at 3 P.M. local time (1900 GMT), plus the late-night match on the opening Saturday, June 14, at 9 P.M. (0100 GMT). The 2014 World Cup is played June 12-July 13. With most of Brazil three hours behind GMT, the afternoon times are favorable for European television viewers who will be able to watch matches in their evening. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, clearly exasperated at constant criticism of the tournament's organization, said there had been little room for maneuver. He also dismissed talk that Brazil, which will not have to play any early or mid-afternoon games, had been favored. Valcke said that part of the problem had been caused by local organizers wanting teams to move around between venues in different parts of the country. “We have made a decision to play in all Brazil because that was the request of Brazil,” he said. “You have a country which is not a small country, it is a continent, where it can be two degrees and 26 degrees at the same time on the same day. “Then you have to take these teams around the country because it was also a decision not to play in just in one region of the country but to travel all around the country to give all Brazilians the chance to enjoy Germany, Italy and the other top teams.” Valcke added that, whatever they did, World Cup organizers were criticized. — Agencies
