CONCACAF deserves a fourth FIFA World Cup berth and the confederation's president, Austin (Jack) Warner will not rest until they get it.

Speaking in Bermuda last Friday, the FIFA vice-president said he would put CONCACAF's case before football's world governing body in December and let the confederation's strides in the sport do the talking.

“I will go to the meeting and put my cards on the table but, I'll tell you something, they better give it to us because I will not leave there until I achieve that. I don't believe I should be begging people for favours for what I think we justly deserve.

“I will put our case on the table. I will put our statistics and our record and show what we have done at the level of our youth programme, our women's programme. No confederation in the last 10 to 12 years has organised and hosted more world events than we have - whether it's the women's world championship, the 1994 World Cup in the USA, the Confederations Cup or other tournaments.

“No other confederation has performed as we have in terms of development at different levels of competition and therefore the time has come for us to be counted. I should add that no other confederation has remained as loyal consistently to FIFA's management,” said Warner who was in Bermuda for two days.

The long-standing FIFA boss has long been displeased with how CONCACAF has been treated regarding the World Cup and he thinks the time is now right to rectify that.

“I was never happy that we have only three places but I didn't want to politicise the issue and lobby on the basis that I have more votes or you have more votes. I said our teams must go on the field and demonstrate their ability to get more places.

“In the last World Cup we did that. No-one can deny that we (USA, Mexico and Costa Rica) have done very well. It's against that background that I'm demanding a fourth place. I also think our numbers, in terms of membership - 38 members - speaks for itself.”

Reflecting on the recently-concluded World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, he noted “the gap is closing between so-called developed football countries and the developing football countries” and no longer can Europe or South America assume the World Cup will be decided between them. Warner cited three factors for this shifting tide.

“First, the European season is too long. There are too many matches and their players are tired by the time they come to the World Cup final. The (Luis) Figos and (Zinedine) Zidanes come there (to the World Cup) tired footballers. Imagine Europe ending its season 10 or so days before the World Cup. It's obscene. They have to run their business differently.

“The World Cup is every four years so they know when it is and should conduct their programme to suit.”

Secondly, the practice of Europe's top clubs importing the best players from across the globe is backfiring when it comes to national tournaments.

“They believe in a Nescafe arrangement - now-for-now success - instead of nurturing young footballers in their own countries. When the imported footballers go back to their own countries, of course, they strengthen their national teams.”

Finally, Warner noted that FIFA have embarked on a deliberate training and coaching programme in the last four years.

“This is now bearing fruit. It has borne fruit in Africa and countries there have made strides and now the whole world is making footballing strides. Therefore, Japan, Senegal, Turkey and South Korea are no miracles. They are the fruits of FIFA's labour over the years.”