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England in lower division Leaked FIFA report rates 2006 World Cup candidates
Posted: Friday June 30, 2000 01:31 PM
LONDON (AP) -- South Africa and Germany reportedly are above the other three bidders in regards to technical merits for the 2006 World Cup, a designation which has angered English bid officials. Members of FIFA's 24-man Executive Committee have or will be receiving a report from an inspection committee headed by 1994 World Cup head Alan Rothenberg, the The Times of London reported Friday. It rated bids on technical merit in five areas; stadiums, infrastructure, hotels, communications and security. South Africa and Germany were ranked in the first division, England in the second division, and Brazil and Morocco were ranked in the third. The winner of the bid is to be announced on July 6. "I don't want to talk about it at all," Rothenberg said Friday when reached at his home. "My job was to deliver a confidential report to FIFA's [Executive] Committee. They may want to say something. I have to keep my mouth shut." Rothenberg would not even confirm if the report ranked the bids, let alone where the bids where ranked. "I don't want to get into anything about it," he said. Rothenberg's inspection committee made a six-day trip to England last October. He described the English bid as "outstanding," said The Times. "It is an insult to everyone involved in English football and FIFA should be ashamed of themselves. England has invested 1.3 billion pounds [US$1.95 billion] in producing the best football facilities anywhere," Alec McGivan, leader of England's bid, told The Times "To place England in a lower division than Germany and South Africa is absurd," McGivan said. England's national team was ousted from Euro 2000 in the first round and was threatened with expulsion because of hooliganism and fighting before and after England's three matches.
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