National and international rules will not be changed to accommodate Fifa if the Netherlands is chosen to host the football World Cup in 2018 or 2022, acting sports minister Ab Klink told journalists on Wednesday.

He was responding to comments by tax specialists in NRC following the official visit this week by a Fifa delegation to the Netherlands and Belgium, who have entered a joint bid.
Among the Fifa demands, which are included in the Dutch-Belgian bid book, are tax exemption for Fifa officials during their stay and vat exemption on ticket sales. According to the tax specialists, these are against Dutch and European tax laws.
According to Klink, parliament will be involved in any decisions and he is considering getting around the rules by compensating Fifa for any tax or vat it may have to pay. ‘We think all the demands are possible within existing Dutch and international laws,’ he told the press.
Hosting the World Cup is of great sporting and social importance, the minister said.
The Dutch-Belgian bid is competing against England, Russia and another joint bid from Spain and Portugal. Fifa will make its decision on December 2.