JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- An old guesthouse on Robben Island will be the venue for FIFA's year-end executive committee meeting on Thursday, the Cape Argus newspaper reported on Monday.

    The committee will be briefed on reports of the FIFA competitions held this year, including Confederations Cup, the U-20 World Cup in Egypt, U-17 World Cup in Nigeria, Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, and update on forthcoming events, including next year's World Cup, the Club World Cup in UAE, and the World Player of the Year gala.

    Winston Tsematse, Robben Island's senior tourism manager, said island staff were prepared to meet the FIFA executives "every need".

    He said that before the meeting, which will be closed to the media, FIFA delegates would be taken on a tour of the prison and would see former president Nelson Mandela's cell.

    "All the preparations are going well. We are in constant communication with FIFA about exactly what they want," said Tsematse.

    "FIFA board members will gather for their meeting in one of the island's guesthouses, which will be followed by a press conference at the old prison."

    Tsematse said security on the island would be stepped up for the event.

    "There are many special FIFA requirements, which I can't disclose, but none of them is difficult to meet. We will meet their standard and do our best to make them feel comfortable."

    The executive meeting will be held the day after FIFA president Sepp Blatter's "extraordinary" meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday, at which, among other things, France captain Thierry Henry's handball incident and match fixing in Europe will be discussed.

    "Of course, particular emphasis will be placed on the next day's final draw, which will kick off in Cape Town at 7 p.m.," FIFA said in a statement.

    "Moreover, a number of reports will be received about the FIFA standing committee which had plenary meetings recently, as well as about the recent Olympic football working group meeting."

    Members of the FIFA executive committee last visited the island prison in 2007 to support the soccer movie "More Than Just a Game".

    Meanwhile, Blatter is expected to open the 2009 SoccerEx event, the world's biggest football business exhibition in Joburg.

    After the success in last year's SoccerEx, local organizing committee chief executive Danny Jordaan said this year would be "bigger and better".

    "I'm sure the organizers are going to go all out with SoccerEx next year," Jordaan told the Cape Argus at the time.

    "There will definitely be a lot of excitement as, at that time, South Africa will be just months away from hosting the biggest soccer event in the world," he added.

    SoccerEx 2009, the last one for South Africa before being hosted in Brazil for the next three years ahead of that country's World Cup, will run at the Sandt on Convention Center until Wednesday.