South Africa may take World Cup case to Swiss courts
South Africa has indicated it may turn to the Swiss courts to try to force a new vote on the awarding of the 2006 World Cup, after the Zurich-based international football federation, Fifa, narrowly gave the competition to Germany.
The chairman of South Africa’s bid committee, Irvin Khoza, said the country’s football association had been holding discussions with an expert in Swiss law, who reportedly suggested that South Africa might have legal grounds to call for a new vote by Fifa.
The Swiss president of Fifa, Sepp Blatter, has so far ruled out a re-run of the vote by the executive committee in Zurich.
The committee voted three weeks ago by a 12-11 margin to award the 2006 World Cup to Germany rather than South Africa. An Oceania delegate, previously known to have supported South Africa’s bid, abstained in the final poll.
South Africa formally lodged an appeal with Fifa on Wednesday calling for arbitration on the issue.
Blatter has said future voting procedures will come under review when Fifa’s executive committee meets next week.
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