ZURICH, Switzerland — South Africa will host Africa’s first World Cup in 2010.

Four years after the heartache of losing by one vote to Germany for 2006, the Rainbow Nation will stage soccer’s most lucrative event in 2010.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced the result yesterday at a packed and emotional news conference at the World Trade Center in Zurich. The vote was all over in the first round with the South Africans getting 14 to 10 for Morocco.

“I feel like a young man of 50,” said 85-year-old Nelson Mandela, the former president who championed the bid. “The beauty of this victory is that we were dealing with highly capable competitors.”

Tunisia’s decision to withdraw in the final day of campaigning reduced the field to four on Friday. The field dropped to three yesterday when FIFA excluded Libya from the vote because it did not meet “all relevant conditions.”

“We can all applaud Africa,” Blatter said in making the announcement. The victor is football. The victor is Africa.”

The South Africans missed out by a single vote to Germany in the chase for the 2006 World Cup four years ago, losing out 12-11 after one of the FIFA executive abstained.

“We’ve come this far not because of our efforts,” said South African bid chief Irvin Khoza. “The efforts of others who supported us have brought us this far.”

Then he turned to Mandela and gestured to Archibishop Desmond Tutu and former South African President F.W. de Klerk. “Your collective wisdom and support was not lost on FIFA,” he told them. With Europe, South America and the rest of the soccer world not involved, it was Africa’s stage. FIFA decided four years ago to rotate the World Cup among the confederations and Africa was first up.

Although Morocco had a strong case having been a losing candidate three times already, and Egypt was Africa’s first World Cup team 70 years ago, South Africa was a longtime favorite to get the go ahead.

After the announcement, an angry Moroccan reporter asked Blatter what he had against Morocco.

“We are in the year of fair play at FIFA, so to say to the FIFA president that he doesn’t like Morocco, well, I refuse to accept that,” Blatter said.

With Morocco making a late charge in terms of public opinion, the South Africans sent their political heavyweights to the vote.

Mandela joined current President Thabo Mbeki and predecessor De Klerk in Zurich along with Nobel Peace Prize winner Tutu. Mandela and Mbeki both addressed the executive committee and spoke of how South Africa had emerged from apartheid and embraced democracy to become a viable host for soccer’s biggest event.

“It is 28 years since FIFA took its stand against racially divided football and helped to inspire the final story against apartheid,” Mandela told the executive committee.

“While we were on Robben Island the only access to the FIFA World Cup was on radio. Football was the only joy to prisoners.

“As I stand before you as part of the South African delegation I can confirm that we are ready, determined, willing and capable as well as passionate about hosting the FIFA World Cup.”

Four years ago South Africa also seemed ready to capture the bid for 2006.

Backed by Blatter, who had long campaigned for the World Cup to be staged in Africa, Danny Jordaan’s team again appeared the favorite. But a German bid spurred on by two-time title winner Franz Beckenbauer edged the South Africans 12-11 after one man on the FIFA executive committee, 78-year-old New Zealander Charles Dempsey, decided to abstain in the second round of voting. He had previously voted for England, which was knocked out, and had been expected to vote for the South Africans.

Moroccans Shocked by World Cup Bid Failure

In Rabat, Moroccans were shocked by the failure of their country’s fourth bid to host the 2010 soccer World Cup after South Africa was chosen to stage the event.

People were glued to their television sets at home, in cafes and even at hospital wards when Sepp Blatter, the president of world soccer’s governing body FIFA, announced that South Africa had been awarded the first World Cup on African soil. “We are saddened because we strongly fancied our chances this time and we realize now that we probably had to be a bit more realistic,” said Rachid Moumni, a 30-year old accountant.

King Mohammed congratulated South African President Thabo Mbeki on the win, while Communication Minister Nabil Benabdallah told reporters that it was “a victory for the whole African Continent. Morocco contributed greatly in this”.