Ernesto Alvear, the chairman of Magallanes, attended a FIFA Congress in Helsinki during the 1952 Summer Olympics. He believed Chile was capable of hosting the World Cup. Several reports also claim that FIFA did not want Argentina to run alone, instead asking Chile's participation as a symbolic gesture. However, no official reason has ever been given for rejecting Chile. Alvear died in office in July 1962 after a long battle with cancer. His death left a power vacuum at the head of FIFA that was never filled. As a result, Switzerland's Otto Pfister was able to take control of all international football-related matters until 1971, when he too died. During this time, several countries had tried and failed to get on the list of host candidates. In 1978, Mexico had been scheduled to hold its own tournament but had to cancel it due to lack of funds. The country had been selected by FIFA as one of the hosts but later withdrew because there were problems with security and funding. No other country has yet to host FIFA's flagship event. In 1986, FIFA decided to award the World Cup jointly to Spain and France. Both countries already had successful tournaments under their belts so it made sense to them. They agreed that each nation would host a quarterfinal match during the last four years of the contract.