Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay release details of joint 2030 WC bid

Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay plan to have matches at 12 different venues if they are successful in winning the rights to host the 2030 World Cup, the football federation leaders and government officials said.

Argentina would host matches at eight sites, while Uruguay and Paraguay would provide two venues each at which matches would be played, reports Efe.

Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia; Argentine Sports Secretary Carlos Mac Allister; Argentine World Cup 2030 organising committee coordinator Fernando Marin; Uruguayan Soccer Association president Wilmar Valdez; Uruguayan Sports Secretary Fernando Caceres; and Uruguayan World Cup 2030 organising committee coordinator Eduardo Abulafia met at the Casa Rosada presidential palace and held a press conference to discuss the bid for football's championship tournament on Tuesday.

Paraguay's representatives were unable to attend the meeting due to problems with their flight, which had to land in Argentina's Cordoba province due to bad weather.

"An Argentina delegation was in Spain, in Madrid, and we were able to speak via the AFA in representation of Uruguay and Paraguay with Lionel Messi privately. We expressed our clear desire for his support, as well as that of his Paraguayand and Uruguayan colleagues, to help make this happen," Marin said.

Spain gave organisers its "clear support" in helping move the bid forward, Marin said.

"We told Messi that in 2030 Messi will continue being who he is and that he will be the standard bearer for that World Cup. At all times, we found that he was quite willing to help us. For us, it's very important to feel that we can count on the support of the soccer players," Mac Allister said.

The organisers did not provide details on the venues being considered to host matches, telling reporters only that they had agreed to a total of 12.

--IANS

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