CARLOS PORRAS, Los Angeles | Tuesday 1.00pm.
CONFEDERATION of African Football (CAF) president Issa Hayatou says he believes Africa can win its bid to stage the World Cup for the first time in 2006.
Speaking in Los Angeles where football’s world governing body FIFA is holding an executive committee meeting, Hayatou said he is “confident Africa can win the 2006 race.” He added he would do all he could to ensure that the continent rallied around a single bid.
“Unfortunately we are dealing with two sovereign states, and the CAF has its limits,” said Hayatou, noting that South Africa faces regional competition from Morocco – never mind from England, Germany and Brazil. “Both (South Africa and Morocco) have great qualities and the means of staging the event,” Hayatou insisted.
FIFA will make the final decision on who stages the 2006 jamboree next March following a meeting of the executive committee in Zurich.
Asked about his relations with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Hayatou said: “I am not his adversary even if I didn’t back his campaign in June 1998 -quite the reverse.” Hayatou was in the camp of Sweden’s Lennart Johansson, whom Blatter defeated to succeed Joao Havelange as FIFA supremo before last year’s World Cup in France.
“Sepp Blatter and I are two democrats. We both understand we have to work hand in hand for the good of the game and its development in the world and Africa in particular,” said Hayatou. Hayatou hopes to gain further support from Blatter having already backed the latter’s ideas on a reform of the international calendar and on staging the World Cup every two years from 2009.
Hayatou confirmed meanwhile he would be standing for re-election as head of the CAf in next January’s election.