NASSAU: FIFA president Sepp Blatter called Thursday for American and Caribbean nations to get a fourth World Cup place as he stepped up his re-election drive.
Addressing the CONCACAF Congress, Blatter said he believed that if the World Cup remained a 32-team event, teams from the region should be guaranteed four places.
CONCACAF, made up of countries from North and Central America and the Caribbean, currently has three World Cup berths with a fourth country fighting a play-off against a team from the Oceania zone.
"It is my view that if the World Cup will stay at 32 teams, then CONCACAF should have four teams," Blatter said at the meeting in the Bahamas.
His remarks come after the most successful World Cup in history for the region with three teams -- the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica -- advancing beyond the group stage for the first time at last year's finals in Brazil.
Blatter, 79, is currently seeking a fifth term as the most powerful man in football.
The FIFA chief was showered with adulation from CONCACAF delegates following his address on Thursday, with no fewer than 10 associations from the region voicing support in the upcoming election.
"CONCACAF membership is sending a clear message that we will continue to support president Blatter," CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb said.
Jamaican FA vice-president Bruce Gaynor meanwhile urged fellow delegates to give their support to Blatter in next month's vote.
"Jamaica will continue to support the president because we think he is on the right path, because we think the opportunities we have had in the past 20 years have been because of his vision," Gaynor said.
"We thank President Blatter and we want him to know he has our support and we ask our colleagues to support President Blatter for our next time."
Blatter's opponents have expressed fears that horsetrading over the allocation of places at the 2018 World Cup could influence the vote.
Europe also wants extra World Cup places and Blatter has in the past encouraged Africa to demand more.
FIFA's executive committee will decide on the distribution of World Cup places on May 30, a day after Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Michel van Praag and Luis Figo go up against Blatter in the FIFA presidential election in Zurich.
CONCACAF chief Webb, who was re-elected as federation chief as expected, urged those running in the FIFA election battle to set their differences aside after the vote, which is seen as a formality for Blatter.
"Regardless of May 29 and May 30 let us all agree, regardless of the outcome , the winners or losers, let us assure that the game is the winner, because the game is bigger than everyone of us," Webb said.
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