Battle for 2006 soccer World Cup likely to be a three-way race

Although there are five entrants, most observers are convinced it will be a three-way race between South Africa, Germany and England.

Blatter has made no secret of his desire to be first man to bring World Cup to Africa and South Africa are banking on former president Nelson Mandela to sway the 24 Fifa executive committee members who will decide the winner next summer.

But South Africa knows it faces a tough task to convince Fifa members that it will be able to meet all the standards set down.

Rivals England and Germany are quick to point out the growing crime rate in South Africa and the economic problems facing the country.

But bothare so worried about South Africa that the two nations considered trying to reach a deal with South Africa to pull out of 2006 and win European support for 2010. South Africa were uninterested and both England and Germany dropped the idea. But the bitterest battle for 2006 is between the two European giants.

German football officials are still smarting over the fact that England even put a bid in.

Germany claims there was a gentlemen’s agreement between themselves and English football officials nearly 10 years ago giving England the European Championships in 1996 and allowing Germany to the sole European representative for 2006.

When England first announced they would go for 2006, officials denied such an agreement ever existed. They have recently been less emphatic, saying that if such an agreement did exist, it had been a mistake.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is closely linked to England’s bid and his former Sports Minister Tony Banks was appointed a special ambassador for the biddingcommittee.

The Germans have up to now put forward a less public campaign than England, working instead in the background getting to know the Fifa executive members.Morocco’s bid has prevented a united African bid but the African Football Confederation are still hoping that before the Fifa vote, they will be able to present a single candidate. Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt had all announced they would bid for 2006 but after talks with the AFC, agreed to withdraw.Brazil finds itself not only battling the four other bidders but also the country’s greatest-ever footballer Pele.

Pele refuses to support the Brazil bid, saying the amount of money needed to bring stadiums up to standard would be better spent helping poor in the financially strapped South American country.

All five countries know that with 12 months to go before the vote anything can happen.

In the 2002 campaign that locked South Korea in a battle with Japan, former Fifa president Joao Havelange announced only a week before the result thatco-hosting would never happen.

It did.

This week’s campaign launch is only the start of what will be a rollercoaster 12 month ride with the winner likely to be in doubt until the final day.