A Portuguese official says Spain has made no approach about the possibility of presenting a three-way bid to host the 2030 World Cup with Morocco.
Education Minister Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, who oversees sports, says he has “no formal knowledge of any official announcement about a three-way bid.”
He also says he believes FIFA does not allow joint bids from separate confederations — in this case, UEFA and the Confederation of African Football.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez supposedly conveyed the bid offer to Moroccan counterpart Saad Eddine El Othmani during a brief visit to the north African country.
Bids to host the 2030 World Cup are being considered by countries in South America and England.
The first proposed bid for the 2030 World Cup was a joint bid from the Argentine Football Association and Uruguayan Football Association. The second was by The Football Association of England. The third was by The Royal Moroccan Football Federation in a joint bid with the Algerian Football Federation and the Tunisian Football Federation.
Portugal hosted the Euro 2004, reaching the final at Lights Stadium in Lisbon to lose for a surprising Greece side (0-1). It was the year superstar Cristiano Ronaldo first played for the Seleção at top level.
Despite the relative success and a great turnout, the Portuguese government was criticized for years for its poor planning that resulted in over-spending and for building useless football complexes. MDT/AP
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