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(Yicai Global) Nov. 16 -- The main governing body of soccer in China has refuted news reports about China seeking to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Such reports are "totally fabricated," the Chinese Football Association said, according to an article state-backed Xinhua News Agency published yesterday. News about the visit of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the FIFA Legends on Tour, scheduled for May next year, is also untrue, according to the CFA.
China is likely to use the 2030 bid as a test run, aiming instead to win the right to host such soccer tournament in 2034, Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post reported on Nov. 14, citing an anonymous source.
"It has long been speculated that China would bid for the 2030 edition of the tournament, the centenary tournament 100 years after the first World Cup," the report said, adding that Infantino's visit adds its own weight to the talks.
Editor: Emmi Laine