glamour-gal
May 16th, 2004, 02:45 AM
South Africa is to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, the first time the tournament will have been held in Africa.
Final choice
Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and South Africa had all presented their bids to football's world governing body on Friday - when Tunisia withdrew their candidature - and this morning the FIFA Executive Committee made their final choice, with the announcement made by president Joseph S. Blatter in the Zurich World Trade Center.
Rotation principle
Under FIFA's rotation principle, Africa had been assured of the 2010 finals. South Africa got the nod ahead of Morocco by a margin of 14-10, having previously only missed out to Germany in the race to stage the 2006 event by a single vote.
Mandela supports bid
South Africa has hosted world cups in cricket and rugby union since the end of sporting sanctions at the start of the 1990s. Former president Nelson Mandela, his successor Thabo Mbeki and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu were all in Zurich as ambassadors for their nation's bid.
Ex-president's delight
Mandela said: "I feel like a young man of 15, and the beauty of this victory is that we were dealing with highly capable competitors who made it difficult for us to forecast what the outcome would be".
'Excellent' facilities
FIFA inspectors had previously reported South Africa's facilities as the best of the bidding nations. They were described as "excellent", while those of Egypt and Morocco were "very good".
Future event
Current holders and five-time winners Brazil are pencilled in to host the tournament in 2014, which has been guaranteed to South America.
Final choice
Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and South Africa had all presented their bids to football's world governing body on Friday - when Tunisia withdrew their candidature - and this morning the FIFA Executive Committee made their final choice, with the announcement made by president Joseph S. Blatter in the Zurich World Trade Center.
Rotation principle
Under FIFA's rotation principle, Africa had been assured of the 2010 finals. South Africa got the nod ahead of Morocco by a margin of 14-10, having previously only missed out to Germany in the race to stage the 2006 event by a single vote.
Mandela supports bid
South Africa has hosted world cups in cricket and rugby union since the end of sporting sanctions at the start of the 1990s. Former president Nelson Mandela, his successor Thabo Mbeki and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu were all in Zurich as ambassadors for their nation's bid.
Ex-president's delight
Mandela said: "I feel like a young man of 15, and the beauty of this victory is that we were dealing with highly capable competitors who made it difficult for us to forecast what the outcome would be".
'Excellent' facilities
FIFA inspectors had previously reported South Africa's facilities as the best of the bidding nations. They were described as "excellent", while those of Egypt and Morocco were "very good".
Future event
Current holders and five-time winners Brazil are pencilled in to host the tournament in 2014, which has been guaranteed to South America.