FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for African countries to be awarded more places at future World Cup finals.
Africa will be represented by five countries in Germany kick off in June – Ivory Coast, Ghana, Angola, Tunisia and Togo – and will be hosting the 2010 finals.
Blatter has suggested that the number should be increased when South Africa host the finals in 2010.
“Those with a bigger representation will automatically, and perhaps even logically, have a better chance.
“What must be done? You have to fight on the pitch and I can assure you that we will continue to fight for a better African representation at the World Cup,” he said, as applause broke out among delegates.
“In 1998, when I was on the way to the FIFA presidency I had… a project in mind to bring the World Cup to Africa. That has now been done.”
Blatter said South Africa would be a bigger success than Germany.
“The market has not been mistaken, it’s the prophets who have made a mistake,” Blatter said.
“The 2010 World Cup, with most of the contracts that we have have reached with television and sponsors, will bring in more money than that of 2006.
“That means that football is an excellent product… that the FIFA World Cup is even bigger because it has a bigger audience than the Olympic Games, every one wants to be there, and thirdly, and for more me the most important thing, it means people have confidence in Africa.”
“The whole world will be behind this World Cup.”
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