Blatter: World Cup could unite Korea 10/11/2010 |
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Fifa president Sepp Blatter believes football can help North and South Korea settle their differences.
South Korea is bidding for the 2022 World Cup and has made rapprochement with the North a central part of its campaign.
"Korea is the country that can realise the ideal of peace through sports,” said Blatter in Seoul this week.
“Football is more than a game. If the World Cup is held in Korea, it will serve as a valuable medium of connecting people to people.
“I am convinced that Korea is very well prepared for bidding for World Cup 2022."
A survey of leading Korean economists recently predicted unification between the North and the South during the 2020s.
World Cup bid officials are hopeful that unity through sharing some of the spoils of a World Cup could hasten peace.
Blatter said that he believed football “was more than a game as it has a socio-cultural impact” with the power to “connect people all over the world”.
“If football can make a step forward then I would be very happy to use the power of the World Cup and the power of football to find a solution,” he continued.
South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak added that hosting the 2022 finals would contribute greatly to peace in the divided nation.
“If and when the World Cup is held in Korea, the only remaining divided country in the world, it will contribute greatly to peace and prosperity in the Korean peninsula,” he said.
“Korea and Fifa agreed to co-operate closely for football and social development in less developed countries."
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