"We asked the presidents of the national associations to put forward their ideas at a future meeting so that this can be sorted out with time to spare," said South American Football Confederation (CSF) general secretary Eduardo Deluca on Thursday.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said last month that world football's governing body would not accept a repeat of the controversial system in which the 10 South American nations play each other home and away in a marathon contest lasting more than two years.

The format, used in the qualifying competitions for the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups, has prompted angry protests from European clubs, who say their South American players return from their frequent transatlantic trips tired, jaded or injured.

One possible alternative would involve a preliminary stage with two groups of five, where the teams play each other once, followed by a six-team mini-league, possibly held at a single venue.

Another would involve dividing the teams into two groups of five.

Deluca said another meeting would be held in February or March to discuss the matter.