Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
Africa cannot hope to win the 2006 World Cup football tournament bid unless they present a single candidate against the formidable challenges of Brazil, England and Germany.
The withdrawals of Egypt and Ghana last month were expected and Nigeria this week heeded the advice of Sepp Blatter, president of world governing body Fifa, and pulled out.
While praising the West African state for its hosting of the recent world youth championship, Blatter doubted that it would be ready to host the 32-team World Cup within seven years.
South Africa, Morocco, Brazil, England and Germany remain in contention with the 24- member Fifa executive committee, which includes four Africans, voting on the bids next March.
While South Africa rejoiced at the African contenders being trimmed from five to two, Morocco seems determined to carry on despite failing with bids to stage the 1994 and 1998 finals.
This is bad news as it sends a signal of disunity to the rest of the world, but the African Football Confederation (CAF) cannot intervene because national associations bid for the World Cup and not continental organisations.
With South Africa and Morocco seemingly determined to press ahead, there is a danger that votes for Africa will be split between them and neither will gather enough to succeed.
While the World Cup is a football tournament, politics also play a part and relations between the CAF and Morocco are strained after the North African country unsuccessfully bid to host the 2000 African Nations Cup.
Another threat could be Brazil, whose campaign has been extremely low profile so far, perhaps in the belief that those who sprint to the front in a 1 500m race do not always touch the tape first.
South Africa believes it can win the right to host the biggest single-sport event through the support of Africa (four votes), Asia (four), South America (three), Central and North America (three) and Blatter (one).
However, Brazil could upset these hopes if it pursues an attempt to stage the showcase of international football a second time as South America and Central and North America would presumably back them.
It would be a shock if the eight European votes were not divided between 1966 hosts England and 1974 hosts Germany, with the latter favoured to claim the majority.
While South Africa World Cup bid committee chair Irvin Khoza and chief executive Danny Jordaan are confident of success no matter what, the presence of Morocco and Brazil weakens our chances.
The ideal scenario would be a three-way fight between England, Germany and South Africa as this would offer Africa an excellent opportunity of hosting the finals for the first time.
What no one can dispute is that South Africa is the best African candidate. It meets all the requirements and Jordaan believes the crime scourge that casts a dark shadow over our beloved land will diminish with time.
What South Africans must not do is dismiss Morocco as party-poopers. The North African kingdom boasts two international-class stadiums in Rabat and Casablanca and a good infrastructure, and it is on the doorstep of Europe.
Where Morocco fails is in not having the minimum World Cup requirement of eight first-class stadiums, only plans to build them in a variety of centres outside the capital, Rabat, and the commercial hub, Casablanca.
Khoza and Jordaan have been crisscrossing the world wooing those who will gather at Fifa headquarters overlooking the Swiss city of Zurich next March to vote.
l The Fifa executive committee consists of the following members: Sepp Blatter (Switzerland) – president;
Europe: Senes Erzik (Turkey), Dr Michel d’Hooghe (Belgium), Lennart Johansson (Sweden), Angel Maria Villar Llona (Spain), Dr Antonio Matarrese (Italy), Joseph Mifsud (Malta), Per Ravn Omdal (Norway), David Will (Scotland);
Africa: Slim Aloulou (Tunisia), Ismail Bhamjee (Botswana), Amadou Diakite (Mali), Issa Hayatou (Cameroon);
Asia: Dr Mong-Joon Chung (South Korea), Abdullah al-Dabal (Saudi Arabia), Mohamed bin Hammam (Qatar), Worawi Makudi (Thailand);
Central America: Chuck Blazer (United States), Isaac Sasso Sasso (Costa Rica), Jack Warner (Trinidad and Tobago);
South America: Julio Grondona (Argentina), Dr Nicholas Leoz (Paraguay), Ricardo Teixeira (Brazil);
Oceania: Charles Dempsey (New Zealand).
ENDS