FIFA president Sepp Blatter says that the vote to decide who will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments will proceed as originally scheduled on 2 December.
FIFA has decided not to postpone the vote, despite two of its executive members being suspended for alleged vote selling.
“We are five weeks from the final decision so there was never a question of changing anything,” said Blatter.
“So on 2 December the FIFA executive committee will decide in a secret ballot the hosts for 2018 and 2022.”
The two FIFA executive members who have been suspended are Nigerian Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii and they are under investigation as part of the organisation’s ethics panel.
Blatter confirmed that a ruling on the mater is expected on 17 November and, if the two are not reinstated, then only 22 Fifa executive members will cast a vote instead of the full 24.
Delaying the vote could have disrupted bidders’ plans to bring politicians and football figures for the final presentation to FIFA’s ruling panel.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and current Prime Ministers Vladimir Putin of Russia, Britain’s David Cameron and Julia Gillard of Australia are all expected attend in Zurich.
In a campaign process dogged by controversy, the Fifa ethics committee is also looking into claims of collusion between the joint Spain and Portugal bid with that of Qatar, although all parties have denied all allegations of unfair practice.
Vying for the 2018 World Cup are England, Russia, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Holland.
The 2012 candidates are Qatar, the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
FIFA has been criticized for its December 2008 decision to hold both World Cup votes at the same time, which created the opportunity for vote-trading collusion.
