Mandela is key

May 14, 2004

A dream that began 70 years ago at the second World Cup finals <br>in 1934, will finally become reality on Saturday when an African nation emerges as a World Cup winner.

2010 World Cup vote

LONDON -
A dream that began 70 years ago at the second World Cup finals
in 1934, will finally become reality on Saturday when an African nation emerges as a World Cup winner.
Obviously, not as champions but as the victorious nation chosen to host the world’s greatest single sporting spectacle in six years time.
Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia are bidding for the right to stage the 2010 soccer World Cup with FIFA president Sepp Blatter due to announce the decision on Saturday morning at Zurich’s World Trade Centre at about noon.
Former South Africa president Nelson Mandela (right), the icon of the post-apartheid nation, has joined South Africa’s high-profile team to Zurich.
South Africa is favourite to host the tournament and its hopes were boosted last week when a FIFA technical report rated its facilities as the best.
South Africa missed out on staging the 2006 World Cup to Germany by one vote when Oceania delegate Charles Dempsey defied orders to vote for them and abstained.
The host nation will be decided by a vote of the 24-member FIFA Executive Committee .
If one of the five candidates — South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya — obtain an absolute majority of 13 votes in the first round they will win. If not, the country with the lowest number of votes is eliminated from a second round of voting.
This procedure is repeated until the last round when only two countries are left in the running. If the two remaining countries each receive 12 of the 24 votes, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has the casting vote.
In Kampala, the South African High Commission will view the event at Hotel Africana.

Reuter

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