PRETORIA A 24-member executive committee of world football governing body FIFA will converge in the Zurich capital of Switzerland on December 2 to select the two hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, with Africa looking set to play a critical role in deciding who will get the finals. After recently staging what has been described as the most successful world cup ever in the history of the tournament, Africa may well decide the destiny of both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup as they are the only continent without any vested interest.
With Brazil having already secured the rights to stage 2014 FIFA World Cup, a total of seven countries United States of America, South Korea, Russia, Qatar, Japan, England an Australia have submitted single bids while Belgium/Holland and Portugal/Spain registered joint bids.
Unlike in the past, the number of bids from the same continent means that the representatives on the FIFA committee cannot cast their votes as a coalition and this leaves Africa which has four votes in a strong position to influence the outcome of the poll.
The fact that Europe has six countries vying to host the tournaments will split their continents vote just like Asia, which has three countries bidding.
Danny Jordaan who was the chief executive of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organizing Committee and is now part of a FIFA inspection team said the bidding countries had already started approaching the African countries that are represented on the 24-member FIFA executive committee.
He said: Lobbying is in full swing at the moment and the bidding countries are eager to show that they have what it takes to deliver a world class football tournament.
Africa has four votes Hany Abo Rida (Egypt), Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Dr Amos Adamu (Nigeria) and Issa Hayatou (Cameroon).
Post published in: Football