By Mohamed Fajah Barrie BBC Sport, Casablanca

Moroccan fans want the competition

Morocco's 2010 World Cup bid committee has called on their north African rivals to pull out of the race and support their own bid to host football's most prestigious event.

Their statement comes ahead of an Arab Football Union (Afu)meeting scheduled for 21 July in Egypt, where the possibility of selecting a single north African candidate will be discussed.

"It is legitimate for our Arab neighbours to back us because we are the initiators of the idea to bring the World Cup to Africa," explains Said Kettani, president of Morocco's bid committee.

It is legitimate for our Arab neighbours to back us Said Kettani, Morocco's bid president

Libya, Egypt and Tunisia are the other north African countries in the race to host the 2010 finals, which Fifa has zoned to Africa.

Kettani told BBC Sport that any Afu decision that did not give its full backing to their bid would not be acceptable to his country.

"It would be a wise decision to unite behind one candidate but that candidate must be Morocco.

"I am convinced that we are the best nation to contest against South Africa for the hosting of the World Cup.

"We have the most experience, as we have been in the bidding race three times before," Kettani said.

But many commentators in the region have described the possibility of uniting behind a single north African candidate as remote, as each country insists that they can host the event on their own.