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ZURICH, Switzerland - A joint bid by Tunisia and Libya to hold the 2010 World Cup was denied Tuesday by soccer's governing body.
FIFA said it would accept only individual bids from Tunisia and Libya, which each entered. South Africa, Egypt and Morocco also made presentations Tuesday, the deadline for official bids. Nigeria withdrew Monday, citing a lack of money, though FIFA said it had not received confirmation.
South Africa made a strong presentation to land the event, highlighting its bid with a taped message from former President Nelson Mandela and English soccer star David Beckham.
FIFA has said the 2010 World Cup will go to Africa.
FIFA will examine each candidate and report to its executive committee. A host will be chosen in May. South Africa is the favorite after losing by one vote to Germany for the 2006 event.
WORLD CUP 2006: Qualifying in North and Central America and the Caribbean would start in mid-January under a proposal by the region's governing body.
First-round byes have been eliminated in the soccer region, meaning the United States would have to play up to 20 qualifiers.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Juventus and Inter scored late goals in wins, keeping Italian clubs perfect in Europe's top club competition. Juventus, behind Pavel Nedved's two goals, won 2-1 at Greek club Olympiakos. Inter defeated Dynamo Kiev 2-1 on an injury-time header by Christian Vieri. Also, Glasgow Celtic overcame a missed penalty kick to beat French club Lyon 2-0.