The former World Cup-winning captain and coach, who is also a member of FIFA's executive committee told Reuters that the expansion was endorsed on the first day of a two-day meeting of the executive committee of European football’s governing body.
The decision was expected, despite criticism that it could dilute the quality of the event, after senior officials of all 53 UEFA member nations backed the idea in June. The expansion means that nearly half of UEFA's 53 members will take part in the finals from 2016.
