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sports Thursday 5 OcTOber 2023

2030 World Cup set to be hosted by Spain-Portugal-Morocco with

3 South American countries added

By Graham Dunbar Zealand. Either way, the
Associated Press 2034 tournament will al-
GENEVA (AP) — The 2030 most certainly be played
men's soccer World Cup is in November and Decem-
set to feature games in six ber — like last year's World
countries on three conti- Cup in Qatar, in the heart
nents in a unique format of the European club soc-
that will allow the tourna- cer season. Accelerating
ment to celebrate its 100th the choice of a 2034 host
anniversary in Uruguay. to the end of next year will
FIFA reached an agree- be widely seen as a vic-
ment Wednesday between tory for Saudi Arabia and
soccer’s continental lead- Crown Prince Mohammed
ers to accept a bid spear- bin Salman, who has built
headed by co-hosts Spain, close ties to FIFA president
Portugal and Morocco as Gianni Infantino in the past
the only candidate for the six years.
hosting rights. The agree- The FIFA Council’s accep-
ment also includes staging tance of a unified 2030
games in South American candidacy still needs for-
countries Argentina, Para- mal approval next year at
guay and Uruguay, which a meeting of the 211 mem-
had earlier promoted a ri- ber federations. That should
val co-hosting bid. Paraguay's Soccer Association President Robert Harrison, left, FIFA delegate Ignacio Alonso, be just a formality. The 2034
Those three countries will center, Conmebol President Alejandro Dominguez, third from left, and Conmebol Vice President pick will be made at a sep-
Claudio Tapia stand after announcing host countries for the World Cup soccer tournament in
each host one match to Luque, Paraguay, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 arate congress, FIFA said.
start the tournament, which (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) The 48-team tournament
allows FIFA to stage the scheduled for June-July
opening game in the Uru- expanding to include Mo- on more than one conti- and Oceania eligible to 2030 is set to start in Uru-
guayan capital of Montevi- rocco, in northern Africa, nent. bid for the hosting rights. guay, Argentina and
deo, where the Centenario earlier this year. The consensus reached Saudi Arabia immediately Paraguay — which FIFA
Stadium hosted the inau- All six host nations will get by the continental soccer entered that contest and branded as “Centenary
gural 1930 World Cup final. automatic entry to the 48- bodies also allowed FIFA to Australia is also interested Celebration Matches” —
The bid had started out as team tournament, FIFA open bidding for the 2034 after successfully co-host- before the action moves to
a joint venture between said. It is the first time the World Cup, with only mem- ing the Women’s World the core host nations Spain,
Spain and Portugal before World Cup will be played ber federations from Asia Cup this year with New Portugal and Morocco.q

US appeals court hears arguments over 2010 hush-money

settlement of Ronaldo rape case in Vegas

By K. Ritter and Scott Sonner evidence the confidential- away.
Associated Press ity agreement she signed Ronaldo is one of the most
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A United in 2010 in accepting pay- recognizable and richest
States appeals court didn't ments from Ronaldo. athletes in the world. He
immediately issue a rul- Judge Johnnie Rawlinson leads his home country Por-
ing after listening to argu- declared the three-judge tugal’s national team and
ments on Wednesday from panel of the San Francisco- has played for the Span-
lawyers trying to revive a based appellate court in ish team Real Madrid, the
woman’s bid to force inter- recess and said they would Italian club Juventus, Man-
national soccer star Cristia- consider the appeal as chester United in England
no Ronaldo to pay millions submitted following about and now plays for the Saudi
more than the $375,000 in 45 minutes of oral argu- Arabian professional team
hush money he paid her af- ments Wednesday from Al Nassr.
ter she accused him of rap- lawyers for Ronaldo and his Ninth Circuit Judges Raw- Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo stands on the pitch dur-
ing her in Las Vegas in 2009. accuser, Kathryn Mayorga. lison, John Owens and 5th ing the team's English Premier League soccer match against
An attorney for the woman The Associated Press gener- Circuit Judge Sidney Fitz- Norwich City on April 16, 2022, in Manchester, England.
is asking the 9th U.S. Circuit ally does not name people water visiting from Texas (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
Court of Appeals to over- who say they are victims of each asked questions of Las Vegas police reopened cusation could be proved
turn the dismissal of the sexual assault, but Mayor- the lawyers — many tar- a rape investigation after to a jury.
case in June 2022 and re- ga gave consent through geting leaked documents Mayorga’s lawsuit was filed, Ronaldo, through his law-
open the civil lawsuit she her lawyers, including Leslie tied to the confidentiality but Clark County District At- yers, maintained the sex
first filed in Nevada in 2018. Mark Stovall, to make her agreement — during the torney Steve Wolfson de- was consensual. The two
The appeal argues the fed- name public. special sitting of the appel- cided in 2019 not to pursue reached a confidentiality
eral court judge in Nevada It wasn’t immediately clear late court held Wednesday criminal charges. He said agreement in 2010 under
erred in repeatedly reject- when the court would rule. at the law school on the too much time had passed which Stovall acknowl-
ing the woman’s attempts A ruling likely is at least campus of the University of and evidence failed to edged that Mayorga re-
to unseal and include as weeks and possibly months Nevada, Las Vegas. show that Mayorga’s ac- ceived $375,000. q