GENEVA, April 24: Morocco�s World Cup bid is facing fresh scrutiny this week with the arrival of another delegation from FIFA after an initial task force found deficiencies in the proposals for the 2026 tournament.
In a downbeat conclusion to the visit by the inspectors last week, Morocco�s bid leader acknowledged it had to improve the quality of the submission made to FIFA in March because inadequacies were identified by football�s governing body.
The previously unplanned second inspection of Morocco is an indication of the more rigorous process introduced by FIFA following criticism in 2010 that World Cups were awarded to the riskiest nations in 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar).
There will also be closer scrutiny of human rights of the bidders before the vote on June 13 when Morocco is currently due to be taking on a joint challenge from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Associated Press revealed last week that Morocco did not declare its anti-LGBT law to FIFA in the human rights risk assessment included in the bid book. The documents � along with the North American submission � will now be scrutinised for any gaps by human rights experts. � AP
