Libya and Tunisia insist that Sepp Blatter is in favour of a joint bid
Tunisia and Libya seem determined to pursue a joint bid to host the 2010 World Cup finals, despite Fifa`s objection to the plan.
Football`s world governing body made its opposition to the co-hosting proposal known last Thursday after a meeting of Fifa`s executive committee in Germany.
"The executive ... confirmed that, as a matter of principle, only one association will be entitled to host a Fifa World Cup," the global body said in a statement.
Yet the two north African nations have cited statutes in accordance with both Fifa and the United Nations in an attempt to pursue their case.
`Our joint bid reflects the aim of Fifa and the United Nations of using sport as a tool in bringing nations together, promoting the values of education, health, peace and development,` said a communique jointly issued by both federations.
Tunisia and Libya had both initially announced separate bids but on 5 September they decided to file a co-hosting proposal to Fifa.
And despite the
world governing body`s objection to the plan, the joint bidders insist that Fifa president Sepp Blatter is in favour of the idea.
`In a recent visit by Mr Blatter to Tunis, he agreed that a joint bid is possible once the principles of co-hosting are in place,` the communique added.
`It is the right of the African continent to present a joint bid in a similar way (to what) the Asian confederation did for the 2002 World Cup.`
Last year, Japan and South Korea became the first countries to co-host the World Cup finals, but after the tournament Blatter said Fifa would discourage joint bids in the future.
The communique issued by both the Libyan and Tunisian federations comes the day before a Fifa team is due to arrive in Tunisia for a week-long inspection tour.
Football`s world governing body has awarded Africa the 2010 World Cup finals and will select the African host on 15 May 2004 in Zurich, the Swiss city where Fifa headquarters are based.
Morocco, Egypt and South Africa are the other nations bidding to stage the competition.
