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South America keen to keep single qualifying group

This system has been used by the 10-nation South American Football Confederation (CSF) for the last four World Cups.

"We have to see if FIFA authorises it...We're going to put it to them after the World Cup in South Africa," CSF general secretary Eduardo Deluca said at the body's Paraguayan headquarters.

"We're all agreed we want to carry on playing and qualifying as we've been doing because we believe it's the most sporting way," he told reporters.

Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina, in that order, qualified directly for this year's finals starting on June 11 after 18 rounds of matches over two years.

The CSF also said Brazil were responsible for the staging of the 2015 Copa America and it was up to them if they passed it on to Chile but denied a claim by Bolivia's President Evo Morales that his country would host the event.

"The 2015 Copa America pertains to Brazil by rotation...I know they are talking to the people of Chile and they may make a deal with Chile but that's an issue for them to discuss," Deluca said.

"It's not a matter for the executive committee...Bolivia's turn will come with the rotation," he said of Morales's announcement on Tuesday.