JOHANNESBURG, Dec 7 (Reuters) - African countries will have to play their
first four qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup finals on successive
weekends, FIFA confirmed on Friday.
The first group phase of the qualifiers begin at the end of May and conclude
in September.
The four weekends of June will be used for the first four rounds of group
matches, presenting a potential logistical headache for teams having to
criss-cross the continent.
"We have written to FIFA seeking clarification of this," said
South African Football Association chief executive officer Raymond Hack.
"It seems a little tough on the players."
Poor flight connections, which often turn traveling to international matches
into multi-day and multi-stop expeditions, are likely to cause consternation
among coaches.
African sides often find it easier have to travel via Europe South Africa
are the first host nation to participate in the World Cup preliminaries
since Italy in 1934.
Although they automatically qualify for the 2010 World Cup, the preliminaries
are also being used to determine the 16 teams for the African Nations
Cup finals in Angola in 2010.
The 48 African countries left in the race for place at the World Cup are
divided into 12 groups. The winners and eight best placed runners-up go
through to the second league phase after October.
The final 20 teams will be divided into five groups from which the winners
qualify for the World Cup. The top three in each group join host Angola
in the Nations Cup field. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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