CSA Withdraws Edmonton Bid

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association announced late Thursday evening it has officially withdrawn its bid to host a Women’s World Cup group in Edmonton, Alberta. The CSA had bid to have Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium act as one of the venues for the 2003 World Cup should FIFA decide to award the tournament to the United States.
However after consulting with CONCACAF President Jack Warner on Thursday the CSA decided to withdraw their offer.
“After speaking with President Warner, we have today decided to withdraw our offer in an effort to provide CONCACAF with a unanimous bid to host the World Cup,” said CSA President Sharpe while attending Canada’s women’s international friendly against England in Ottawa. “We are convinced Edmonton would have been an excellent host city but we must consider importance of showing solidarity within our Confederation.”
The FIFA Executive Committee is expected to make an announcement on who will host the Women’s World Cup in the next two weeks. The USA and Sweden are now the only two countries to submit official bids. The Executive Committee decided to move the tournament from China earlier this month over fears related to SARS.