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Rabat – Spanish sports outlet Marca has celebrated Morocco’s joining of Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup, describing it as a “masterstroke” by the two European countries to win the hosting rights of the global tournament.
Marca considers the addition of Morocco to the Iberian candidacy a huge “blow to the morale” of other bidding countries who did not anticipate the move, notably the Saudi Arabia-led bid which includes Egypt and Greece.
Morocco announced its decision to officially join the Iberian bid to host the global tournament on Tuesday at the CAF President Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremony in Rwanda.
Morocco’s Sports Minister Chakib Benmoussa announced the news during the ceremony through a written message from King Mohammed VI.
Describing the bid as an “unprecedented” move in football history, Benmoussa stressed that it “will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds.”
In addition to Marca, several other Spanish outlets have welcomed the Morocco-Spain-Portugal candidacy, including El Pais, which said that the joint bid is “key to defeating Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Greece project.”
Read also: Spain, Portugal Hail Joint 2030 World Cup Bid with Morocco
The governments of Spain and Portugal have also welcomed the move. In a joint press conference with Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his excitement over the joint bid, saying that it is a “very good [and] positive message” to the world.
“We should be happy with this decision, because it puts this bid in a better position to win this race,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Prime Minister emphasized that the bid conveys a “very important message to the whole world, to Europe and to Africa.” “We are two neighboring continents that want to work together,” Costa added.
Spain and Portugal were initially set to submit a joint bid with Ukraine. However, the two European countries soon started looking for a replacement after the Ukrainian Football Federation (UAF) became involved in an ongoing case of alleged corruption.
