Soccerex are delighted to confirm that FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will be opening the Soccerex Global Convention 2014 – Manchester, 6 – 10 September.

President Blatter, the head of world football’s governing body, will deliver a formal address to Soccerex delegates, before doing a one-to-one interview with Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail where he will be addressing the latest issues affecting the global game and looking back on a fantastic FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

This will be President Blatter’s ninth Soccerex appearance over the past 19 years and comes at time when the governing body enters a new (footballing) chapter, as it prepares to take its flagship event to new territories around the world.

It will also come at a significant time in relation to the investigation by FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, with the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee recently stating that “we expect to deliver our report to the adjudicatory chamber by the first week of September 2014”.

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said: “FIFA and their President have always been enthusiastic supporters of Soccerex, but welcoming President Blatter to another event is always a huge honour for me. The interview is set to be one of the most important sessions in the history of Soccerex and will command a huge media presence all over the world.”

The Soccerex Global Convention kicks off with the Football Festival on 6-7th September, with the conference starting on Monday 8th September. A packed international exhibition and a programme of networking and social events complete the schedule for what is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading football business event.