 Hicham Azmy heads Egypt's 2010 World Cup bid |
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) says the fear of terrorism should not block the North African country's hopes of staging the 2010 World Cup. EFA board member Zohir Ammar said in Kuala Lumpur on Friday that Egypt has established tight security since the last wave of attacks that targeted foreign tourists several years ago.
Ammar is in the Malaysian capital as part of an Egyptian delegation lobbying hard for the support of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The AFC is holding an executive committee meeting ahead of next week's vote by Fifa to decide which country will host the 2010 tournament.
The threat of terrorism at major sporting events has grown since the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001.
And Egyptian football officials acknowledge that fear of attacks remains a major concern.
Ammar said: "Egypt has been a safe haven for many years but we can't predict what will happen in the future.
"Terrorism is a trend all over the world. However, we have a culture of safety."
Ammar also said Egypt will not campaign against South Africa by focusing on rampant crime in its cities - a worrying factor that could harm the country's World Cup hopes.
"We're leaving the floor to the fair judgment of people. We will accept any decision."
MMIX
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