FIFA, grappling with a corruption scandal, said yesterday it would discuss a possible new venue and date for an executive committee meeting originally scheduled for Japan in December.

The announcement came amid uncertainty over whether FIFA president Sepp Blatter would make the trip. He has largely avoided travel since the United States indicted 14 sports marketing executives and soccer officials, including several from FIFA on bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges.

Blatter has not been accused of any wrongdoing but retains an attorney.

Some lawyers with experience in international criminal cases have said Blatter would be ill-advised to travel since the US indictments were announced in May.

Blatter told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper in an interview in July that he was playing safe.

FIFA’s executive committee meets in Zurich tomorrow and Friday and the final item on the agenda, published yesterday, was listed as “decision on the date and place of the next meeting”.

A FIFA spokeswoman confirmed the matter was under review and gave no reason for the discussion. The calendar page on FIFA’s website continues to list Japan as the venue.

FIFA’s final executive committee meeting of the year traditionally takes place in the same country as the Club World Cup tournament, which is returning to Japan in December after being held in Abu Dhabi and Morocco in previous years.

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