OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cairo | Monday 5.00pm.
South Africa pledged on Monday to leave a legacy for underdeveloped African soccer and rescue the World Cup from its predictable winners, when it revealed its proposals to host the tournament in 2006.
The chief executive of South Africa’s bid committee, Danny Jordaan, said in Cairo that Africa will have been the only major Fifa confederation that has yet to host the tournament after the next World Cup finals co-hosted by Japan and South Korea in 2002.
Jordaan said the SA Football Federation would, if it were awarded the cup, contribute two million US dollars to kickstart a CAF trust that would ensure the development of soccer in Africa.
9.30am:
SOUTH Africa and Morocco submitted bids to the African Soccer Confederation (CAF) on Sunday to stage the 2006 World Cup, the confederation’s chief executive said.
”I received the nomination bids from South Africa and Morocco in an executive session of the CAF and I can say we have realistic ambitions of holding the World Cup in 2006 in Africa,” Issa Hayatou told Reuters.
Irvin Khoza, chairman of the South African bid committee, said his group had told CAF executives it was able to meet all of FIFA’s criteria regarding telecommunications, security and infrastructure.
Morocco, which has twice unsuccessfully bid for the World Cup, said they were continuing their bid. There were rumours they would drop out of the race.
”We are here to say that Morocco is mobilised for its candidacy and we have behind us everyone from the king to the man on the street,” said Driss Benhima, head of the Moroccan bidding team.
All bids have to be with FIFA, world soccer’s ruling body, by the end of July. The decision on where the finals will be held in 2006 will be taken by FIFA’s 24-man executive committee in March next year. — Reuters