From BBC Sport

Here’s some interesting news from BBC sports news correspondent Richard Conway. It seems that FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has picked his successor.

Richard Conway says:

“FIFA president Blatter has indicated he could be replaced ‘in the near future’ as the head of football’s world governing body by Jeffrey Webb, the current leader of the confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).

“Speaking off-the-cuff before a speech to mark the opening of a CONCACAF sport summit, the FIFA president was introduced incorrectly to an audience of regional political leaders and confederation delegates as ‘FIFA’s vice-president’ by a local media officer.

“The 77-year-old, who has led the Zurich-based governing body since 1998,              stepped up to the lectern and replied to the mistake telling the media officer and assembled guests: ‘I think you’re a prophet!’

‘[There may be] a new [FIFA] president in the near future and this president could be Jeffrey Webb.”

For more on this story go to:

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/24620591

UPDATE: Jeffrey Webb not planning to succeed Sepp Blatter

Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football leader Jeffrey Webb says he has “no intention” of replacing Sepp Blatter as Fifa president.

Webb had been linked with the role in 2015, with Blatter suggesting at a conference in the Caribbean on Monday that he could be replaced by Webb “in the near future”.

But Cayman Islands native Webb said: “No, definitely not. That is not my intention or my objectives at this time.”

Related story:

[Jamaica’s] PM to address CONCACAF sport summit in Cayman

From Jamaica Observer

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister and minister of sport, Portia Simpson Miller left the island late yesterday (October 21) for the Cayman Islands where she will be the main speaker at a sport summit being hosted by the regional football body CONCACAF, from October 21-23, 2013.

The sport summit staged under the theme ‘Transformation through Partnership’ will bring together ministers of sport and presidents of football federations from 31- countries within the Caribbean and Latin America region. The summit will examine mechanisms for enhancing the partnership between governments and the football federations to improve the growth and development of the sport in the region and its contribution to social and economic development, including opportunities in sport tourism.

Simpson Miller is accompanied by the Natalie Neita Headley, minister without portfolio with responsibility for sport, in the Office of the Prime Minister.

The prime minister returns to the island later today.

While away from the country, Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change will be in charge of the Government.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/PM-to-address-CONCACAF-sport-summit-in-Cayman2013-10-22T00-04-20

Related story:

The Power of Football

The most popular sport on earth provides pleasure and entertainment for millions of fans across the continents, but that unmatched reach also gives football huge capacity for transformation.

Noone knows more about that power than the game’s leader – FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.  At the governing body’s helm since 1998 and involved in the organization for nearly 40 years, Mr. Blatter has travelled the world meeting global leaders, witnessing football’s impact firsthand.

Attendees at this week’s CONCACAF Sports Summit in grand Cayman — Transformation Through Partnership — will hear Mr. Blatter speak about that substantial influence and how it can best be applied.

In a separate session, the Honorable Randolph Horton, JP, MP, a former New York Cosmos star and now Speaker of the House of Assembly of Bermuda, will discuss his views on “Football as an Influential Agent for Positive Change”.

Of course, the game is one that brings great benefits to those individuals who develop the skills to play professionally.  In the “Football Changed My Life” segment of the summit, guests will hear stories from former players about how the game changed their lives and what lessons the game’s stakeholders can learn from those experiences.

Those scheduled to speak include:

Dwight Yorke – One of the greatest footballers to emerge from CONCACAF, Yorke is best known for his play with Trinidad & Tobago and Manchester United.  He won three Premier League titles and a Champions League crown, and appeared in the 2006 World Cup finals.

Bernard Lama – The former French international, began his career with youth teams in French Guyana.  At 18-years-old, he joined Lille in France and went on to play for Paris St. Germain.  Lama also helped lead France to the semifinals of Euro ’96.

Cobi Jones – A star with the United States and LA Galaxy, Jones earned an American record 164 caps during a sterling career.  He appeared in three straight World Cups (1994 – 2002) and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.

Related story:

See iNews Cayman story published October 20 2013 “FIFA President to open development seminar in Cayman Islands” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/?p=88543