The FIFA executive committee has agreed to debate next month a proposal by the African Football Confederation (CAF) to rotate the World Cup finals among the continents, a CAF spokesman said Tuesday.
"They accepted our point to include it on the agenda of the FIFA executive committee," when it meets in Zurich on August 3rd, CAF spokesman Viken Djizmedjian told AFP.
He hoped the executive committee would feel compelled to pass the proposal on for approval by the general assembly, which meets immediately afterwards, after South Africa lost a close vote to Germany to host the World Cup in 2006.
"We're hopeful. It's good timing after this disappointment," Djizmedjian said.
It will be a tougher battle to convince the 200-odd members of the FIFA general assembly to adopt the measure, and will require intensive lobbying, he added.
But he said, "this is the right time to do it. Through this South Africa will have a great chance of hosting it in 2010."
By abstaining in the final FIFA ballot last week, Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) President Charlie Dempsey, a New Zealand national, handed Germany the 2006 World Cup by 12 votes to 11 win.
Many African countries reacted with disappointment, anger and cries of betrayal when they learned the World Cup would be hosted in Europe for the 10th time.
With the 2002 World Cup being played in Asia for the first time, many people, including the world governing body's president Sepp Blatter, believed 2006 would be Africa's year – (AFP)
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