Colombia break ranks to bid for 2014 (19 Dec 2006 07:58 GMT)
Colombia broke ranks with the rest of South America on Monday by announcing they had sent FIFA official notice of their intent to bid to host the 2014 World Cup.
"The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) has presented the letter of intent," FCF president Luis Bedoya told reporters. "We know it's going to be a long, tough road."
The announcement represented an about-turn for the FCF which three years ago joined the federations of the other South American nations in unanimously backing Brazil as the continent's only candidate to stage the competition.
With the event earmarked for South America under FIFA's rotation system, that decision effectively left Brazil to bid unopposed.
However, the FCF changed its mind after President Alvaro Uribe made a speech in July during which he said he wanted the country to join the race.
Vice-president Francisco Santos said much work needed to be done, pointing out Colombia did not have the stadiums nor infrastructure necessary to host the event.
"We can do it, we can provide the necessary investments and the country has to start thinking about big projects," he told Reuters. "Countries need to have dreams, they need great achievements."
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said world soccer's governing body will look elsewhere if none of the South American bids come up to scratch.
source : Football Guardian