{"id":47558,"date":"2023-03-22T12:17:12","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T12:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/22\/right-time-for-moroccos-sixth-bid\/"},"modified":"2023-03-22T12:17:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T12:17:12","slug":"right-time-for-moroccos-sixth-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/22\/right-time-for-moroccos-sixth-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Right time\u2019 for Morocco\u2019s sixth bid"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Morocco
Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup before going out to France in Qatar last year
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Morocco\u2019s sports minister has said he is \u201cconfident\u201d now is the \u201cright time\u201d for the country to launch a sixth attempt to host football\u2019s men\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

The North African nation has\u00a0joined Spain and Portugal in a joint bid for 2030, replacing Ukraine who have been forced to pull out due to the ongoing war with Russia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a natural bid \u2013 Spain, Portugal and Morocco have close ties,\u201d Chakib Benmoussa told BBC Sport Africa in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where Morocco\u2019s part in the bid was announced last week\u00a0at World Cup organisers Fifa\u2019s annual congress.<\/p>\n

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\u201c[Spain and Portugal] have invested a lot in infrastructure and in developing football and we think the bid has a lot of chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morocco joining its two European neighbours makes this the first confirmed transcontinental bid in World Cup history.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeographically, distances are closer than other groups where we are and which will organise the World Cup in future,\u201d Benmoussa explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are confident that it will be the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

South Africa is the only African nation ever to win the right to host a World Cup, holding the 2010 edition after beating, among others, Morocco and Egypt in the bidding process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is a unique proposal,\u201d South Africa Football Association president Danny Jordaan, the man who led organisation of the 2010 tournament, told BBC Sport Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cPortugal and Spain are members of Uefa and Morocco is a member of the Caf, so it brings together for the first time in the history of world football two continental bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to wish Morocco well, and of course, Portugal and Spain will give them a significant boost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Morocco
Morocco\u2019s failed bid for the 2026 World Cup would have included 14 stadiums across these 12 cities<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moroccans confident<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morocco\u2019s failed bids have all come in the last 30 years, having previously put their hat in the ring to host World Cups in 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026.<\/p>\n

But this is a first joint bid, something which is raising hopes inside the country itself, according to Moroccan football journalist Amine El Amri.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are generally really confident compared to the other bids in the past,\u201d he said, pointing to the expansion of the competition due to take place in 2026 when the USA, Canada and Mexico will also join forces as part of a tri-nation bid.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the passing of time and the passing of bids, the general public in Morocco have understood that it doesn\u2019t need to be as costly as it is for one country to host the World Cup, especially a format where there are 48 teams instead of 32.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially because the other two partners, Spain and Portugal, have infrastructure (and) logistics to help Morocco, so I think it\u2019s a very strong bid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morocco\u2019s recent performance in Qatar could also boost their chances, having become the first Africans to reach the semi-finals of a World cup \u2013 a success that was attributed to the country\u2019s development at all levels of the game.<\/p>\n

Morocco also successfully hosted last year\u2019s Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations with the\u00a0Atlas Lionesses reaching the final where they lost to South Africa.<\/p>\n

The Morocco-Portugal-Spain proposal is one of two confirmed bids for 2030, taking on another multi-nation pitch\u00a0from South America featuring Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.<\/p>\n

Uruguay hosted, and won, the first World Cup in 1930, a fact that makes the 2030 edition a centennial anniversary, something that will lend their bid stronger sentimental value.<\/p>\n

For now at least, Benmoussa has refused to be drawn on the opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know all the groups who will be bidding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work until next year, maybe spring 2024, before knowing all the competitors, but of course we have to do our best to have the best bidding documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

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  • A split in African support?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The waters could yet be muddied further by another potential North African challenger, with an additional multi-nation being mooted \u2013 but this time one that spans three continents, with speculation that Egypt could team up with Greece and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

    \"African
    Patrice Motsepe has led the Confederation of African Football since March 2021 and wants to ensure Fifa delegates from Africa don\u2019t split their vote for the 2030 World Cup host<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    So could the support of Fifa delegates in Africa be split? Not according to the man in charge of African football, Patrice Motsepe.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFrom an African perspective, we really want to make sure that an African nation is indeed part of a successful bid,\u201d the president of the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf) told BBC Sport Africa.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe will engage and make sure that we don\u2019t get our votes dispersed, that there\u2019s a focus, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m encouraging and welcome the announcement by Morocco, as well as the expression of interest and engagements that Egypt has been busy with.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The 2030 World Cup host will be decided by Fifa\u2019s member associations at next year\u2019s congress which will be held in Osaka, Japan.<\/p>\n

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