Australia bids to host football´s FIFA Club World Cup (SN)

Australian football officials on Sunday said they had submitted a bid to host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009 and 2010.

“It's a very exciting competition, with the best team from each of the six FIFA confederations and a team from the host nation participating,” Football Federation Australian chief Ben Buckley said.

“FIFA is looking for hosts for 2009 and 2010, and we believe Australia has very strong credentials.”

Australia's rivals to host the event are Japan, which has already been selected to stage the tournament in 2008, and the United Arab Emirates, he said.

Buckley said bidding to host major football events was a deliberate strategy by Football Federation Australia which is preparing to launch a formal proposal to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

“We want to be a strong and positive contributor to the world of football in as many ways as possible,” he said in a statement.

Last year's FIFA Club World Cup, also hosted by Japan, was won by AC Milan.