German footballer Lothar Matthaeus in action during the German regional league north soccer match in Herzogenaurach, Germany on May 13, 2018. (Matthias Merz/DPA)
RABAT, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Former captain of German football team Lothar Matthäus has been appointed as Morocco's 2026 World Cup bid ambassador, Morocco's bid committee announced on Saturday.
"Morocco is pleased to welcome the iconic Lothar Matthäus, former captain of the German national team and winner of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, as Morocco's 2026 World Cup bid ambassador," the Committee said in a statement.
"I support Morocco's bid for the FIFA 2026 World Cup because I am convinced that Morocco, with its innovative concept, will offer good conditions to players, fans and all football lovers," Matthäus said, adding that Morocco is a true football land.
Matthäus was also FIFA's best footballer for 1991. He won the prize of the best European player for 1990 and the best German player for 1990 and 1999.
The German star joins the list of ambassadors of the Moroccan bid, which includes former Brazilian football star Roberto Carlos, Cameroonian Joseph-Antoine Bell, Senegalese Hadji Diouf and Khalilou Fadiga, Tunisian Adel Chedli and Congolese Robert Kidiaba.
Morocco is looking to be the second African side to ever host the tournament after South Africa in 2010.
This is Morocco's fifth bid to host the World Cup, after its losses for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions of the event.
Morocco is competing with a joint bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The winning bid is slated to be announced in June, 2018.