By Martin Etonge BBC Sport, Yaound�

The Caf president has urged a free vote for the 2010 World Cup host

Caf president Issa Hayatou has urged the four African members of Fifa's executive committee to vote 'according to their conscience' for the 2010 World Cup hosts.

The African football supremo was speaking during a Caf executive board meeting in the Cameroon capital Yaound� on Friday.

"I'm asking all African Fifa executive committee members to vote freely, according to their conscience and assessment of the different bidders," said Hayatou.

"I wish the five bidders for 2010 the best of luck. The battle to host the 2010 World Cup has already been won.

"Whatever the result, the World Cup will be hosted by an African country."

The 2010 hosts will be known on 15 May, when Fifa's executive committee meets in Zurich to choose from the five African nations in contention for the event.

As well as Hayatou, who comes from Cameroon, Tunisian Slim Aloulou, Mali's Amadou Diakite and Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana are also on the 24-man Fifa executive committee.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt are all desperate to stage the first World Cup on African soil since the tournament's inception in 1930.

In a separate development, the Caf executive committee decided to postpone a decision on the hosts of the 2008 African Nations Cup.

The decision will now be known in July, instead of June, as originally planned.

Before that date, Caf will send inspection teams to South Africa, Ghana and Libya - the three bidding nations.