MOSCOW _ At least two federation presidents had some explaining to do after Wednesday's FIFA vote that awarded the 2026 World Cup to the joint bid of Mexico, Canada and the United States over a proposal from Morocco.
Antonio Souare, president of the Guinean soccer association and an ambassador for the Moroccan bid, cast his vote electronically for the North American trio while Brazil's soccer head, Antonio Carlos Nunes, went the other way, publicly backing the North American trio, then voting for the North Africans.
"I did not vote of the United bid," Souare told a reporter. "There must be a mistake, perhaps a technical one."
He also said he was "confused" by the equipment used to cast votes, although his delegation had voted without issue on a number of earlier measures using the machine.
Nunes said later he thought the ballots were secret despite the fact FIFA repeatedly told delegates at Wednesday's congress that the votes would be made public, as they were minutes after being cast.
The United bid won in a landslide 134-65.
Africa had promised to vote as a bloc for Morocco but 11 countries broke with their neighbors and backed the United bid. Russia also voted for the U.S. while North Korea sided with Morocco. Iran voted for neither.
