Morocco

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.

South Africa's Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour will meet Moroccan World Cup bid officials in Rabat to discuss the possibility of Morocco withdrawing from the 2006 race.

South Africa's World Cup bid chief said he was prepared to do a deal with rivals Brazil in order to secure South American backing in the vote to decide who hosts the 2006 tournament.

Organisers of England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup have shrugged off a report claiming South America had offered its backing to rival bidders South Africa.

The reconstruction of Wembley Stadium, the centrepiece of England's 2006 World Cup bid, has been given the green light, according to UK media reports.

The English Football Association has apologised to Denmark for violence involving Arsenal fans at the UEFA Cup final but said it would not affect England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup.

Africa should host a soccer World Cup but not the 2006 tournament, said Franz Beckenbauer, who is leading Germany's bid to stage the event.

Brazil has told Asian nations that its bid for the 2006 World Cup combined passion and organisation and it deserved to host the tournament.

Brazil has told Asian nations that its bid for the 2006 World Cup combined passion and organisation and it deserved to host the tournament.