CAF president Patrice Motsepe has explained why the continental football mother body’s EXCO is backing Morocco’s 2030 FIFA World Cup 2030 bid.
Morocco has joined forces with Portugal and Spain to host an intercontinental FIFA World Cup.
Motsepe, on the cusp of becoming the second CAF president to bring the FIFA World Cup to Africa, says Egypt had also shown intentions to bid.
Africa – through South Africa in 2010 – has hosted one World Cup, and Morocco would be the second country in the continent to host the global soccer showpiece.
READ:UEFA joins CAF in backing Morocco’s World Cup bid
“I think it’s very important and, as I said the first time when Morocco publicly announced its candidature, I had already been approached by Egypt, and there were many other discussions, but the decision taken by the CAF Exco last week is the right decision,” SABC Sport quoted Motsepe.
Patrice Motsepe reveals
He revealed that there had been “lots of discussions going on over an extended period of time”. Following those discussions, Motsepe says they were satisfied that backing Morocco was the right decision.
“We have to engage and start lobbying very soon because, if you keep postponing and delaying, the chances of an African nation, once more, hosting the World Cup becomes very remote.”
CAF has 54 members, while Spain and Portugal will be expected to pull most of UEFA’s 55 members.
Motsepe added that CAF adopted the Morocco bid as an African one.
Morocco’s King – His Majesty King Mohammed VI – said it was unprecedented in history of football when announcing the bid. He said it would unite Africa and Europe.
“For me, as president of CAF, my focus is to make sure that Africa is united behind a candidate that enjoys the confidence and trust of the continent.”
The CAF executive committee is the highest decision-making body of the continental body. It decided to support the North African country last week.
Two days later, an announcement that CAF is now converting Morocco’s bid to become the African continent’s bid followed.
Morocco recently hosted the FIFA Club World Cup, which was a resounding success.