WELLINGTON, June 16 (AFP): FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has cancelled plans to visit New Zealand for this weekend�s Under-20 World Cup final in Auckland, world football�s governing body said today.
�Due to his current commitments in Zurich, the FIFA president (Blatter) will not be able to travel to New Zealand to attend the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup,� a spokeswoman said.
The Swiss supremo would likely have received a cool reception had he made the long trip, after New Zealand Football (NZF) defected from the Blatter camp and voted against him in last month�s presidential election.
NZF chief Andy Martin said earlier this month that he hoped Blatter stayed away as his presence would turn the tournament final into a �sideshow�.
Blatter, who has been in charge of FIFA since 1998, has announced he will quit after the organisation was engulfed by a series of widespread corruption allegations.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup final will take place on Saturday, featuring the winners of Wednesday�s semi-finals in which Brazil play Senegal and Serbia take on Mali.
