Maroc Mondial 2006 Association signs sponsoring accord with Royal Air Maroc
The Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has joined a group of three companies that agreed to pay $200,000 in support to Morocco's bid to host the 2006 World Cup soccer finals.
The related accord was signed on Tuesday by RAM President and Managing Director Mohammed Hassad and the high commissioner in charge of Morocco's bid, Driss Benhima.
BMCE Bank and oil company SOMEPI already agreed to pay the same amount to the Maroc Mondial 2006 Association which promotes the bid.
Morocco is competing with fellow African nation, South Africa, Germany, England and Brazil to host the World Cup.
Observers believe that the race for winning the bid is between Morocco and South Africa, as FIFA (world football governing board) wants an African country to host the World Cup.
FIFA is to select next July 6 the host country of the finals.
Maroc Mondial 2006 Association targets similar accords with Morocco's telecom corporation Ittisalat Al-Maghreb, and the Casablanca Water and Power supply company LYDEC.
The association seeks to collect $2.2 million to finance a worldwide campaign to glean backing to Morocco's bid.
This is the third time that Morocco bids for hosting the World Cup. The two previous bids (1994, 1998) were lost to the USA and France.
The Moroccan authorities came up this year with a sound file, including an ambitious program to build modern stadiums and promote hotel, telecom and highway networks.
