CONCACAF's top official turned heads at one of the sport's largest executive gatherings on Wednesday, demanding that the region be awarded four qualification spots in the FIFA World Cup (up from its current allocation of 3.5) and speaking out on the persistent problem of racism in soccer.
Delivering an address at the Leaders in Football conference in London, Jeffrey Webb also criticized FIFA's decision to do away with its continental rotation system for World Cup hosting rights just as his region was due to welcome the 2026 edition, and called attention to his confederation's efforts at reforming its alleged problems with corruption since he took up his current post in 2012.
“I can’t argue that UEFA [Europe] deserves to have more spots than any other confederation, but if you look at the representation of teams at Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, they are much more proportionate," Webb said of FIFA's current distribution of World Cup berths, according to SportsIllustrated.com. "We believe our confederation has earned a fourth spot.”
Addressing the process of deciding the host of the World Cup, a process which has been fraught with controversy in recent years, Webb made clear that he believes that North America should be next in line after Qatar 2022.
“Unfortunately, when the rotation stopped, it affected CONCACAF more than anyone else," he said. "We believe [the 2026 World Cup] should be our World Cup and there should not necessarily be a debate -- only what country it should be in.”
Webb offered a bullish vision of CONCACAF's efforts at reform and development since his predecessor, Chuck Blazer, and longtime Trinidadian power broker Jack Warner departed the organization amid a swirl of controversy. "The mandate for openness and transparency was made a reality," according to an article on CONCACAF.com, after an independent investigative report was completed last year, guiding a more inclusive approach toward member associations and policies encouraging transparency.
The organization says revenue from broadcasting, sponsorships and ticketing has increased by 405 percent during Webb's tenure and he cites player development as his most pressing priority at the moment. CONCACAF reports that its investment in that sphere has tripled, adding up to some 70 percent of the confederation's budget in the year ahead.
Webb, who leads FIFA's anti-racism taskforce, also urged a tougher approach towards racism -- singling out Russia, host of the 2018 World Cup, and England, where only two black managers can be found among the 92 clubs in the nation's professional pyramid.
“We have been talking for a long time about zero tolerance and saying no to racism and now we see actions coming forth and that's refreshing,” he said. “It’s a huge fight on our hands ... There is a huge challenge ahead [with Russia 2018] and it must start with education. It must come from the top down, that diversity and integration is good. Then we have nothing to fear.”
