LONDON: Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has endorsed Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup over the joint bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Blatter tweeted on Thursday that “Morocco would be the logical host! And it is time for Africa again!”
While chief of football’s governing body, the Swiss pushed for the 2010 World Cup to be staged in South Africa.
Referencing the rival joint bid from the US, Canada, and Mexico, Blatter tweeted “co-Hosting rejected by FIFA after 2002.”
South Korea and Japan co-hosted the event in 2002, the only time the World Cup has been staged in more than one country.
Since then Nigeria has wanted to co-host the showpiece with its neighbors Benin, Ghana, and Togo. At the time Blatter was still FIFA boss and said that the body would not consider any future co-hosts except in “exceptional circumstances.”
Blatter’s 17-year reign as FIFA president ended in disgrace in 2015 amid the fallout from American prosecutors charging dozens of soccer officials with corruption, including World Cup vote buying.
Blatter is serving a six-year ban from soccer following the discovery of an uncontracted salary of $2 million to one-time adviser Michel Platini.
Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter snubs US World Cup bid and endorses Morocco
Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter snubs US World Cup bid and endorses Morocco
Supersub strikes again as Sesko gives Man United win at Everton
- The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth
LIVERPOOL, England: Manchester United supersub Benjamin Sesko scored 13 minutes after entering the field to give his side a 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Monday.
It was the third time in four games that Sesko has scored after coming off the bench and secured points for United.
“I believe in me and so do the other players as well,” Sesko told Sky Sports. “They know what they are going to get when I arrive in the game. It’s up to me to deliver of course.”
His goal with 19 minutes remaining finished off the slickest move of an otherwise stodgy game.
Bryan Mbeumo controlled Matheus Cunha’s superb long ball and played a perfectly weighted pass to the feet of Sesko, who steered the ball past Jordan Pickford with aplomb.
“It was a great finish,” United interim coach Michael Carrick said. “It was a ruthless finish. I liked the way he put it away with real confidence. It was great play from Cunha and Mbeumo to set it up and we are dangerous on the break.”
Until then defenses had been on top and the lack of attacking fluency was not helped by a heavy pitch that appeared to slow down both teams.
The result took fourth-placed United three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool. United was three behind Aston Villa.
It also extended Carrick’s unbeaten run to six games since he replaced Ruben Amorim on Jan. 13.
The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth and eight points adrift of Chelsea and Liverpool.
David Moyes’ men have gone seven games without a win at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“Generally we did very well in lots of bits,” Moyes said. “We got done on the counterattack and they ran away and got the goal that was there. We put in a great effort to get the goal but lacked the quality to make it count.”
