SA bid committee supports Kiwi stand

SA bid committee supports Kiwi stand
REUTERS

JULY 10: The chairman of South Africa's World Cup bid committee on Monday supported New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark's call for a rerun of a controversial vote which awarded the 2006 tournament to Germany.

``I want to support the Prime Minister of New Zealand who says that Oceania must demand a revote on this issue because Oceania did not exercise their vote,'' said Irvin Khoza.

``We do not lose sight of the fact that when it comes to merit, Germany had a good case similar to South Africa. But this issue of Dempsey clouds everything at the end of the day,'' Khoza told The South African Broadcasting Corp.

The Johannesburg Star newspaper quoted Clark as saying the world governing body FIFA should investigate the decision by Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) president Charlie Dempsey to abstain from last week's vote.

The vote went 12-11 in Germany's favour.

South Africa government sports officials were not available to comment on Tuesday.

Khoza said the bid committee would meet with its legal advisor Michael Katz to discuss his findings.

``He will give us advice and if there are options open to us definitely we will take the matter forward,'' he said. Khoza did not elaborate on what action the committee may take.

Dempsey's claims

AUCKLAND: Charlie Dempsey said on Monday he had permission to vary his vote at the FIFA meeting that decided which country would host the 2006 World Cup.

Dempsey added that he abstained from the final ballot in Zurich because he feared a vote for either side would be detrimental to soccer in the 11 Oceania nations.

The vote went 12-11 in Germany's favour. If Dempsey had voted, the decision would have come down to a tie-breaking vote by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, a supporter of South Africa.

``It had also been made clear to me by influential European interests that if I cast my vote in favour of South Africa, there would be adverse effects for OFC and FIFA,'' Dempsey told reporters.

``I believe that decision was in the best interest of football and in particular those of the OFC.''

His daughter, OFC executive secretary Josephine King, said she had rung OFC delegates at the request of Dempsey and gained permission for him to vary from the previously agreed position of supporting South Africa over Germany.

``I gave him the advice that the majority (of the OFC) had said he could have his freedom, and it wasn't in dispute whether he had it,'' she told reporters.

Dempsey said he had supported England's World Cup bid until the English dropped out and there was never a requirement he support South Africa, only an understanding that he would.