CASABLANCA, May 25: Morocco belatedly conceded that its bid to host the 2010 soccer World Cup was not "brilliant" and that explained why South Africa won.

World soccer governing body FIFA chose South Africa on May 15 as the first African host of the World Cup finals. Morocco, bidding for the fourth time, was four votes behind.

"I don't think we presented a brilliant bid but we worked on it with all our hearts," said Morocco's bid chief, Saad Kettani at a news conference late on Monday, his first in Morocco since the vote.

Visibly tired and having apparently lost weight, Kettani said Morocco had faced an uphill battle against South Africa, which benefited from having former president Nelson Mandela as a bid ambassador.

"I don't think we would have been able to alter the course of events, especially with the presence of Mandela." Some observers in the Moroccan media have questioned FIFA chief Sepp Blatter's partiality and accused him of manipulation and while Kettani said that maybe promises had been made to South Africa after it lost by a single vote to Germany for the right to host the 2006 finals, nobody should blame FIFA. "One must show sportsmanship and congratulate South Africa," he said. -Reuters