South Africa Gets Favorable Review
South Africa emerged as the clear front-runner to host the World Cup in 2010 when FIFA released a 94-page technical report Tuesday evaluating the bids by five competing countries.
Also in the running, but not as strongly now, are Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
The FIFA document, prepared after visits to the five nations by a team headed by Jan Peeters, president of the Belgian soccer federation, produced one surprise when it ranked Egypt ahead of Morocco.
Morocco had been thought to be South Africa’s closest rival.
“The report demonstrates that at least three of the candidates are potentially capable of organizing a successful World Cup single-handed,” FIFA said, thereby signaling that Libya and Tunisia are effectively out of consideration.
South Africa, which lost by one vote to Germany in 2000 in its bid to host the 2006 World Cup, appears likely to be the first African nation to stage soccer’s premier event.
The decision will be made by FIFA on May 15 in Paris.
Porto in Final
Portuguese champion FC Porto advanced to the May 26 final of the European Champions League Tuesday when it defeated Deportivo Coruna of Spain, 1-0, to win the two-game semifinal series, 1-0 on aggregate.
Brazilian forward Derlei Silva scored the decisive goal on a penalty kick in the 60th minute after Italian referee Pierluigi Collina ruled that Deportivo defender Cesar Martin had fouled Porto’s Deco Souza.
Chelsea and AS Monaco play in the second semifinal today in London, with Monaco leading, 3-1, after the first leg.
Quick Passes
A second-half goal by Jose Antonio Reyes enabled English champion Arsenal to tie Portsmouth, 1-1, and keep alive its hopes of becoming the first team to go undefeated for an entire Premier League season. Arsenal is 24-0-12 with two games remaining. ... Javier Aguirre, Mexico’s coach at the 2002 World Cup, has renewed his contract with Osasuna in the Spanish league for another year. ... Diego Maradona will return to Cuba this week to resume treatment for cocaine addiction after spending 12 days in an Argentine hospital with heart and lung problems.
-- Compiled by Grahame L. Jones
