Sydney: Australians are excited at the prospect of hosting the 2010 World Cup - should South Africa be obliged to give up the rights to the planet's biggest sporting event because promised stadiums would not be ready in time.
The Sydney Morning Herald ran a front-page story on Thursday that passed rumours that world governing body FIFA had secretly nominated Australia as first-reserve should it be deemed necessary to scratch South Africa.
Australia now fields as Asia's top team. Australia was in the last 16 at the World Cup in Germany in July, and has flagged a bid for the 2018 World Cup.
Under FIFA's unofficial rotation policy the next three World Cups should go to Africa, South America and Asia.
Brazil, a prospective host for the 2014 World Cup, would not be ready by 2010 if South Africa loses the hosting rights. This leaves Australia as the easiest substitute.
Sydney hosted the "best ever" Olympic Games in 2000. It would have six stadiums that are World Cup standard by 2010 - and could offer to share the event with New Zealand in the same way that Japan and Korea have shared the hosting of the event.
The Sydney paper said Australia was canvassed at FIFA meetings in Germany as an alternative venue for the 2010 World Cup.
At that time, FIFA, football's world governing body, denied there was a contingency plan.
It made the same denial to the Herald this week: "We were asked the same thing in July, and the president (Sepp Blatter) made it clear we were not looking for alternatives."
Prime Minister John Howard has backed the 2014 bid, which would be led by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA).
The six state premiers have also thrown their weight behind a 2014 bid, noting in a statement issued in July that "we look forward to assisting the FFA's development of a World Cup bid through discussion and planning around a range of issues including infrastructure, facilities and security."
FFA chairman Frank Lowy met Blatter in Germany and received support for Australia's World Cup bid.
Also supportive was Mohamed Bin Hamman, the Qatari who heads the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Australia recently switched from the Oceania region to be in the AFC.
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