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Legal challenge could cost SA 2010 World Cup

Paul Martin in Zurich

Federation of International Football Associations president Sepp Blatter has warned South Africa's soccer officials to drop their campaign to reverse the decision over Germany being awarded the 2006 World Cup or risk losing the opportunity to stage it four years later.

In an exclusive interview to Sport Africa Broadcasting and rediff.com, Blatter said, "It's like a family where one child is given a bicycle. If the other son takes it well and asks his father for a bike next time the father can buy one, then the child will get one. But if he screams and shouts, his father may give the bicycle next time to his sister instead."

He urged South Africa to show itself as a good loser and appear generous in defeat when FIFA meets in Zurich on August 3. To continue pressing for a re-vote or take legal action would produce a backlash, he said.

"Africa has a very strong chance now to get the 2010 venue, and I would not want the South African Football Association to damage its chances now."

The blunt warning came as a South African soccer delegation led by bid chief Irvin Khoza and chief executive Danny Jordaan visited Zurich and Brussels. They've been consulting lawyers over a legal challenge against this month's 12-11 vote for Germany by the FIFA executive. A major row at the annual FIFA Congress, to be held in Zurich early next month, appears a possibility.

Blatter said South Africa should discuss its feelings at the Congress but the Congress has no right to reverse a decision taken by the executive. "We must maintain the unity of the FIFA family. Football is like life. One day we are winners and one day we are losers."

Blatter said he was personally full of anguish over the decision, but claimed that Africa had itself contributed to South Africa's defeat. "The fact that Africa maintained two candidates until the very end was not good," he remarked.

Blatter claims that he followed the correct procedures at the dramatic executive meeting. He was open to arbitration, provided it was shown that there is substance in any legal challenge, which he strongly doubted. He insisted that the 'intolerable pressures' that Oceania's representative complained about made no difference to the outcome.

However, he wants FIFA to change the way it votes on these issues in the future hinting at a newly structured executive by 2003 to give more power to Africa and areas beyond Europe.

Expressing sympathy for the South Africans, he said, "I saw these young boys and girls at this big get-together in Pretoria, waiting there, when I was to announce the winner. Mama mia, when I saw that on television in the evening, I really had tears in my eyes. But I had to fulfil my duty."

It was an act of injustice, said Blatter. "When all the others are preaching solidarity, equity, democracy, justice, then why this injustice to a continent that has given so much to football? We should have the courage to invest in the new continent, but they (the executive) did not listen to me."

Paul Martin is editor-in-chief of Sport Africa Broadcasting and of Live Africa Network News. He wrote this article for rediff.com.