FIFA said yesterday that World Cup match referees have the authority to delay kick-offs for safety reasons, after 19 fans were killed in a stampede at a stadium in the Ivory Coast.

Football's governing body has also asked each of the 52 national federations in Africa to send security specialists to a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, next month.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter told members of the stadium and security committee that "not one human life should be put in the balance by football".

The committee backed a proposal giving power to referees and FIFA match delegates working at World Cup qualifying matches to delay the start of games.

The rules

Referees "should therefore not start a match unless security is established outside the stadia and spectators have taken their seats," FIFA said in a statement yesterday.

A total of 19 people died and more than 130 were injured in a crush before the World Cup match between Ivory Coast and Malawi on March 29.

The Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan had a 35,000 capacity limit but many more came to see star striker Didier Drogba play at home for the first time this season. The match went ahead after the tragedy.

FIFA has asked for reports from the Ivorian football federation and local government authorities to establish what happened.