Mandela pleads for SA

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is in the Caribbean

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has gone against his doctor's advice to travel to the Caribbean in an attempt to drum up support for his country's 2010 World Cup bid.

Four of the five bidding nations have sent representatives to the Caribbean to talk to officials from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) to try to win votes ahead of the World Cup voting on 15 May.

Mandela and bishop Desmond Tutu, both of whom have won the Nobel Peace prize, are the highest profile figures in the Caribbean looking to secure Concacaf's support.

The region has three votes on the 24-man Fifa executive committee, which will decide who hosts the 2010 World Cup in Zurich.

Representatives from Egypt, Tunisia and Libya will also be making similar pleas to officials at this weekend's Concacaf annual conference in Grenada.

Morocco, who are seen by many as South Africa's closest rivals to host the 2010 World Cup, are the only country not to send a delegation.

South Africa are counting on Mandela's celebrity to help win the World Cup bid, after they lost the 2006 finals bid to Germany by just one vote.

Mandela, 85, has become increasingly frail and in 2002 was treated for prostate cancer.

He spoke on Friday at a children's rally in Port of Spain in Trinidad where dozens of adults and youngsters braved morning showers to catch a glimpse of the anti-apartheid icon.

"This may be my last trip abroad," he said.

Jack Warner, the Trinidadian who is vice-president of Fifa, said Mandela came to the Caribbean country against advice from his doctors.

Neither Warner nor Mandela gave details of his condition.

Tutu delivered Mass to a congregation of more than 1,000 people at the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port of Spain on Friday.