THE head of the Moroccan FA claims the 2030 World Cup Final HAS been awarded to the North African country – to spark a renewed spat with co-hosts Spain.
In the latest apparent sign that Fifa chief Gianni Infantino is using the location of the Final venue as a prong in his attempt to stave off attempts to oust him, Fouzi Lekjaa said the game “will” be played at the Grand Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca.
The planned 115,000 capacity venue is not due to be completed until next year, while Spain has proposed Real Madrid’s Bernabeu or the Nou Camp in Barcelona.
Fifa have declined to confirm the schedule or approved host cities for the next World Cup, although more than half the currently-agreed 104 matches will be played in Spain.
But Lekjaa, who came out in support of Infantino despite his failed plan to sell off a £3bn stake in the World Cup to private investors, suggested the decision has already been made.
Speaking at a political rally ahead in Rabat of looming national elections, Lekjaa said: “The province of Bensliman in Casablanca will have the honour of hosting the 2030 World Cup final.
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“Whoever wants to be in the next government has no other option than to develop the province.”
Lekjaa’s claim comes less than a week after his Spanish counterpart, Rafael Louzan, was adamant the Final “must” be played in his country because “it is the best football country today”.
Louzan conceded that the ultimate decision rests with Fifa but added: “It would not be understandable that Spain, which is the promoter of this World Cup along with Portugal, would not host the final.
“We have 55 per cent of the weight of organisation.
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“The 2030 tournament must be the best World Cup in history because it is the 100th anniversary of the first and there should be nothing that weakens this great candidacy.
“So we must all work together.
“This issue has been sufficiently debated and we will be waiting expectantly for the final decision that Fifa must make.
“There will be preliminary issues, since we have many cities to finalize with stadiums under construction and we await their confirmation to begin their work to carry out these major projects.”
Nevertheless, there are growing suspicions that Infantino is using the 2030 tournament as a part of his re-election campaign in the teeth of a global pushback against his leadership.
Leadership in Uefa, Asia and Concacaf are firmly opposed to Infantino being given a fourth term, while the African and South American confederations are in his corner.
But South American chiefs want to see a further extension to 64 teams from the 48 sides involved this summer.
Initially Conmebol was granted three matches – one each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay – to mark the centenary of the inaugural event played solely in Montevideo in 1930.
But adding 16 more games – and 124 matches in total – would allow full opening groups to be played in each of the three South American countries.
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Likewise, with Spain and Portugal strongly supporting Uefa’s stance against the Fifa leadership, awarding the Final to Morocco is seen as a tool to confirm support in Africa does not seep away.
Fifa have still to confirm when the full schedule and venues will be announced although it is likely to be at some point next year.