Brazil

Facts about the FIFA vote to decide who stages the 2006 World Cup finals, which will take place on Thursday in Zurich.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela said on Tuesday that South Africa deserved to be the first African country to host the World Cup.

FIFA executive committee members will begin gathering in Zurich today for the meeting which will decide the host of the 2006 World Cup.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA said "no sanctions were foreseen" against Brazil for pulling out of the race to host the 2006 World Cup at the 11th hour.

As widely anticipated, Brazil has withdrawn from the race to host soccer?s 2006 World Cup.

Later this week the FIFA executive committee meet to vote on which country will host the 2006 World Cup.

German Football Federation (DFB) president Egidius Braun has been taken to hospital over the weekend, a DFB spokesman said.

Speculation is mounting that Brazil is on the verge of pulling out of the race for the World Cup ? with an announcement on its bid due later today from the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

After taking bets for over two years on who will win the right to stage the World Cup 2006, UK betting firm William Hill have finally closed their book ? just days before the FIFA executive committee finally votes on who will stage the tournament.

Germany and South Africa emerged as clear joint favourites to stage the 2006 World Cup on Friday after the leaking of a confidential FIFA report ranking them as technically the best bids.

FIFA, world soccer?s governing body, appears to be back-tracking over a confidential report which ranked England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup below that of rivals Germany and South Africa.

Alec McGivan, the director of England's campaign to stage the 2006 World Cup, has questioned the motives behind UEFA's threat to expel England from Euro 2000 following incidents of hooliganism.

South African World Cup 2006 bid officials have said it would be a pity if the chances of rivals England were scuttled by UEFA'S threat to expel the English team from the European championship finals.

England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup finals appears to have been dealt a fatal blow by the violent behaviour of the hooligans who caused mayhem over the weekend in Belgium, according to senior FIFA figures.

English soccer chiefs were planning to hold an urgent meeting with European governing body UEFA today in a bid to stop a new generation of hooligans from destroying their Euro 2000 campaign and seriously undermining their 2006 World Cup bid.

South Africa's 2006 World Cup bid committee officials will meet their Brazil counterparts next week to discuss a possible deal over Brazilian backing for South Africa's bid.