Africa-Press – Eswatini. PARIS, FRANCE. Leaders of global sports bodies may not be fully in charge of their disciplines at the Paris Olympics but they are quite engaged.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont attended and even handed over medals on the final day of the men’s rugby 7s at the Stade de France.
Equally, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has turned up for some football matches across the country. He watched Japan come from a goal down to defeat Brazil 2-1 in the women’s Group C fixture at the Parc des Princes.
Infantino has had to make time for Fifa delegates and federations heads attending the Olympics. He met with Botswana Football Association counterpart Maclean Letshwiti and the two discussed “the Fifa Forward programme and at the Fifa Talent Development Scheme.”
More importantly, Infantino in company with Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafström here in Paris this week received bid books from relevant Fifa member associations for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the Fifa World Cup.
The bidding nations to host the 2030 edition are joint from neighbours Spain, Portugal, and Morocco and the second bid being Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
“The president of the Moroccan Football Association, Fouzi Lekjaa, the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernando Gomes, and the General Secretary of the Royal Spanish Football Association, Álvaro de Miguel Casanueva, handed over the bid book and accompanying documents relating to the Fifa World Cup 2030,” read part of a statement by Fifa.
“The presidents of the Argentinian, Paraguay and Uruguay Football Associations, Claudio Tapia, Robert Harrison and Ignacio Alonso, respectively, together with Conmebol President Alejandro Domínguez, submitted the documentation for what promises to be a show-stopping centenary celebration that will form part of the 2030 edition.”
The voting for that tournament’s hosts will take place on December 11 during the Fifa Congress in Zürich, Switzerland and it will be opened to all 205 eligible members. The aforementioned six countries are ineligible to vote.
Uganda through Fufa led by Moses Magogo is one of Africa’s 53 votes to be counted. Infantino and Grafström also received a bid book for the 2034 Fifa World Cup from Saudi Arabia sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s (Saff) President, Yasser Al Misehal, and Hammad Albalawi, the head of the Saff’s bidding unit.
“The submission of the bid books represents a key milestone in the bidding processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the Fifa World Cup as we aim to organise iconic celebrations of football and humanity,” said Infantino.
“The seven bidding countries from four confederations have already given a lot to football, countries with great passion for the game, great organisational skills and a shared vision of what football and its values should be. Equally, these bidding processes prove that football unites the world,” he added.
It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia abandoned its 2030 bid alongside Greece and Egypt so as to focus on a solo bid for 2034. Four other joint bids, including one of five nations Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, were rejected for 2034.
The bid books are subject to evaluation before December. By working with European neighbours Spain and Portugal, Morocco will aim to become the third African country to host the men’s Fifa World Cup after South Africa did in 2010.
In men’s football at the Olympics, two African countries are quarterfinal-bound with the Soufiane Rahimi-inspired Morocco set to face USA at Parc des Princes before Egypt takes Paraguay at the Stade de Marseille on Friday.
PARIS OLYMPICS
MEN’S FOOTBALL – QUARTERFINALS
FRIDAY, AUG 2 – DAY 10
4pm: Morocco vs. USA, Paris
6pm: Japan vs. Spain, Décines-Charpieu
8pm: Egypt vs. Paraguay, Marseille
10pm: France vs. Argentina, Bordeaux
FIFA MEN’S WORLD CUP
2034 BID: Saudi Arabia
2030 BIDS: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco & Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay
2026 HOSTS: Canada, Mexico, USA
2022 HOST: Qatar
2018 HOST: Russia
2014 HOST: Brazil
2010 HOST: South Africa
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
