FIFA has rejected a claim by the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, that Morocco has secured the right to host the final of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The world football governing body said the decision on the venue for the tournament’s final has not yet been made, despite Morocco’s plans to construct a major stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca.
Morocco is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, with the tournament expected to be staged across the three countries.
Responding to reports about Lekjaa’s comments, FIFA told news outlets that the host venue for the final would be decided “in due course.”
The clarification came after Lekjaa reportedly announced during a political rally that Benslimane had already secured the right to stage the showpiece match.
According to a translation by The Associated Press, Lekjaa said the city of Benslimane would host the World Cup final and identified the planned Hassan II Stadium as the venue.
“The city of Benslimane will host the World Cup final. Hate it or love it and if anyone wants to talk on top of that, let them talk,” Lekjaa reportedly said. He also expressed his hope that Morocco’s national team would eventually play in the final at the stadium.
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The proposed 115,000-seat venue, officially known as the King Hassan II Stadium, is under construction near Casablanca and is expected to become one of the largest football stadiums in the world.
Morocco’s selection as one of the 2030 World Cup co-hosts will give Africa another opportunity to stage World Cup matches following South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 tournament.
However, FIFA’s latest statement indicates that the location of the 2030 final remains unresolved and that no host venue has officially been confirmed.
The issue has also attracted attention because of previous reports in the British media suggesting that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had promised Morocco the World Cup final as part of a political arrangement connected to his campaign for re-election.
FIFA has previously denied those reports, rejecting claims that Infantino had promised Morocco the final in exchange for political support ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election.
The latest clarification therefore leaves the final venue open, with Morocco, Spain and Portugal still awaiting an official decision from FIFA on where the tournament’s most important match will be played.
Al Jazeera
