Brazil and Colombia have made preliminary bids to host the World
Cup in 2014, FIFA said on Tuesday.
The two countries submitted "expression of interest" forms to
world football's governing body before the December 18 deadline,
FIFA said in a statement.
Only South American countries were invited to bid for the 2014
World Cup and the expression of interest is the first stage of the
bidding to host world football's flagship event.
The Brazilian football federation (CFB) submitted its offer on
December 13, while the Colombian federation presented its document
at the last moment on Monday.
FIFA said it the two federations would be informed of the next
steps that they have to take.
The governing body had been ready to hold an accelerated process
if only one candidate was ready to host the finals in 2014, amidst
strong pressure from Brazil at the time.
The five-times World Cup winners have hosted the event once
before in 1950, when its team lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the final.
Four previous World Cups have been held in South America:
Uruguay 1930, Brazil 1950, Chile 1962 and Argentina 1978.
However, the Brazilian bid has been criticized inside the
country. Internacional coach Abel Braga said shortly before his
club won FIFA's Club World Cup final in Tokyo that Brazil was not
ready for the tournament.
"I don't think our environment is ready to have the World Cup in
Brazil," the Brazilian coach said. "In terms of physical
infrastructure like hotels and transport, safety, tourism and
sight-seeing, our country is not ready."
Earlier this month, FIFA president Sepp Blatter told journalists
that high standards had been set in recent World Cups.
He warned the governing body would be ready to look "further
north" if no decent candidates emerged from the South American
confederation.
FIFA recently voiced concern about the lack of construction work
at key stadiums in South Africa less than four years before the
2010 World Cup finals are due to take place there.
This year's World Cup was held in Germany with Italy winning the
title.
(China Daily December 21, 2006)
