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Rabat – FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that he sees the Morocco-Spain-Portugal joint bid as the top favorite to host the 2030 World Cup.
Spanish sports news outlet Marca said on Saturday that Infantino still sees the joint bid between the three countries as the top favorite.
According to the outlet, journalist Juanma Castano said that the FIFA President pointed to the bid as his top favorite “to anyone who approached him.”
The FIFA president made similar remarks during his visit to Spain, where he attended former football player Ronaldo Nazario’s wedding.
However, Marca suggested that the bid could face some challenges, including the controversies that the Spanish federation has been facing recently.
Former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales has been under fire recently, over his kissing of Spanish football player Jeni Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup final presentation ceremony, without the player’s consent.
“Despite the pessimism that could have started to arise within the Federation due to the controversies that have surrounded Spanish sports in recent months, it seems that Infantino maintains his confidence in this candidate intact,” Marca wrote.
Morocco announced its decision to join the World Cup bid on March 14.
Representatives from Spain, Portugal, and Morocco have said that the joint bid would serve as a bridge connecting people from across the world.
King Mohammed VI said the bid would connect together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab, and Euro-Mediterranean worlds.”
In September, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told Infantino that Spain, Morocco, and Portugal are ready to co-host the international tournament.
“Spain is working with Portugal And Morocco on a strong bid for the 2030 World Cup, with an ambitious project,” Sanchez wrote on his social networks in September, adding that the three countries share the same core belief on the importance of football as they prepare to compete for hosting the sport’s most illustrious tournament.
The joint Morocco-Portugal-Spain is driven by the belief that “football is a sport with global reach that can promote positive social values,” he added.
The Spanish, Portuguese, and Moroccan bid committees held their first meeting last month to discuss the potential of winning the hosting rights to host the World Cup 2030.
“We will contribute our best efforts to a great team of professionals working very hard to achieve the goal. It is an honor for us to be part of such a strong and important candidacy,” Head of Morocco’s Football Federation (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa said after the meeting.
