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VALENCIA - Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli will wait until later this week before revealing where and when the next America's Cup yachting regatta will be held.
Bertarelli indicated that an announcement could be made in two days.
It would not be sooner "because we might have a headache tomorrow morning".
Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton has already said he wants another shot at lifting the Auld Mug, while the New Zealand Government immediately committed $10m to allow another challenge to be mounted.
"I've put my name forward and said I would run another challenge and we'll take it from there," Dalton said.
While Bertarelli was playing his cards close to his chest, it appears to be an open secret that, once Alinghi scored a one-second win over Team New Zealand today to complete a 5-2 match victory and retain the cup, the Swiss defenders accepted a challenge from Desafio Espanol.
That would make the Spanish syndicate, who lost to Team NZ in the Louis Vuitton Cup challengers semifinals this time around, the challengers of record, or challengers' representative.
The speculation follows that, if Desafio are the challengers of record, the next cup would stay in Valencia.
Bertarelli suggested as much by saying that the Spanish port city had been "a perfect venue" for the first America's Cup to be staged in Europe.
"Team NZ helped, but I don't think anyone can remember a more exciting match," he said.
"Every single race was unbelievable. We will be thinking about the future shortly, but right now it's time to celebrate this victory."
Bertarelli said he derived greater satisfaction from repelling Team NZ's challenge here than winning the cup off the same opponents in Auckland four years ago, when the score was 5-0.
"This is definitely bigger and better than last time," he said.
"It has been much, much harder than I ever thought it would be. I was a bit naive in 2003 when I won.
"I have learnt more about the America's Cup in the last 10 days than I have learnt over the last seven years.
"Apart from the birth of my kids, it's the best day of my life."
Bertarelli built his syndicate from scratch in 2000, hiring a core of New Zealand sailors, including skipper Russell Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth.
This time around, Bertarelli has had to do without Coutts, the most successful skipper in cup history but with whom he parted ways in 2004.
"Winning with Russell will be one of the greatest memories ever," he said.
"The beauty of this one is that it's completely different -- the team, the group, the helmsman.
"If I had to pick one, I would pick this one, because it's today and close, and because it's been harder."
- NZPA
