In the midst of all the news emerging from the FFA’s annual general meeting, the reiteration from Frank Lowy of Australia’s determination to stage the 2018 bid comes at a time when European powers are lining up to bring the World Cup back to the sports heartland after what will be a twelve year absence.
If Australia wants the 2018 World Cup, it will take some serious political manoeuvrings to make it happen.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter was quoted in May as saying Australia should focus its efforts on 2022 instead. With the next two World Cups in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014), Blatter hinted that the World Cup might have to return to the Northern Hemisphere in 2018.
Never before has Europe been overlooked for two World Cups in a row, let alone three.
UEFA is determined to stage the 2018 World Cup and there is no lack of options emerging.
England is the favourite, having missed out on the 2006 bid.
With the Olympics in 2012 and world-class stadiums littered around the country, it is a genuine contender to stage the tournament, unless the Olympics bankrupt the country!
English football has certainly come a long way from the dark old days of hooliganism and Hillsborough. The World Cup would be the confirmation of the cleansing in the English game.
Spain has also thrown its hat in the ring, with a joint bid with neighbours Portugal.
Spain last held the World Cup in 1982. The only obvious impediment is the amount of racism that still blights the Spanish game.
With regard to stadiums, Spain and England could stage a World Cup next week.
Other European options are Belgium and the Netherlands and also Russia.
Even if Europe doesn’t work out, Blatter could avoid a third straight Southern Hemisphere World Cup with the dark horse of the 2018 bid, the United States.
The FFA certainly has a fight on its hands.
Call me pessimistic but there is an immense amount of work to do for the FFA with stadiums and questions regarding how the other codes will accommodate the tournament into their own calendar.
We have the potential to stage the World Cup one day and it would be a great World Cup, a momentous occasion that would rank up there with the Sydney Olympics, if not higher given how symbolic it would be of football’s journey in this country.
But with Europe appearing to be the favoured option for 2018, perhaps the FFA should switch its focus to 2022.
It seems difficult to imagine Europe going without a World Cup for sixteen years and you wonder how the FFA, even with the support of the AFC, could overcome the political power of UEFA, its European interests and the wishes of President Blatter.
Those extra years will give the FFA time to rally governments across the states for the stadiums we need and other confederations worldwide for the political pull to determine just how the World Cup would be accommodated and avoid a direct confrontation with Europe.
Better to be one of the favourites for 2022 than just one of the contenders for 2018.
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December 2nd 2008 @ 8:45am
Millster said | December 2nd 2008 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Scott B – re your 2030 comments they apply now. Lets have no doubt that we are a smallish population country in a tricky time-zone (s) which is very far away from anything and that has not had the level of football culture and infrastructure that we need until very recently (and even then, us ‘being there’ even now is highly debatable), plus has some logistical complications such as large distances between cities etc. Middle-East and a whole host of other nations will make stiff competition for us in any year. This is why I think we need to put heaps of work into 2018/22 to ‘proove the point’ even if we only see the reward a couple of decades later.
December 2nd 2008 @ 8:52am
Pippinu said | December 2nd 2008 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Another point to make, that I have mentioned in the past – if the AFC wants only one member to nominate for each of 2018 and 2022 (not sure if they are requiring this, but they have mentioned it in the past), Australia might be forced to choosing one or the other that they wish to bid for.
If Australia ends up bidding for 2018, and 2018 only, leaving 2022 for, say, China, then we all would know that we have been well and truly out-manoeuvered, leaving China as firm favourite to host 2022 (as Millster has suggested already), with the US perhaps being its main opposition.
December 2nd 2008 @ 9:21am
Towser said | December 2nd 2008 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Perhaps all people not of an age where death is but a gobspit away may stop to think why Frank Lowy has nominated 2018.
To me its obvious he’ll be 88 then,2022 makes him 92.
Whether its realistic or not he has a solid reason for 2018 that only older contributors to the Roar understand.
This will be confirmed if he gives up his major stake in SFC to concentrate as he said on the 2018 World Cup.
Whilst it may appear mission impossible, when time or lack of it stares you in the face & you are a man of iron will also, all things are possible. Never discount a dogged old bugar.
December 2nd 2008 @ 9:43am
Millster said | December 2nd 2008 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Towser – good points.
Also please all be clear that while the rational side of me thinks we have a sub-10% chance of landing the 2018/22 WC, nevertheless I will be 150% behind the effort. And probably ferally disappointed when we are closer and we do lose.
December 2nd 2008 @ 10:09am
True Tah said | December 2nd 2008 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Scott,
lets go with 10 stadiums as you suggest, and lets say instead of 40,000 capacity, we may be lenient and say 35,000 capacity.
The stadiums which currently meet the criteria are Suncorp, SFS, ANZ/Homebush (will probably change its name by 2018/22), New Rectangular stadium in Melbourne, MCG. Im not sure about Subiaco (which is a horrible ground to watch rugby or futbol at), but I thought AAMI Stadium in Adelaide does not meet the criteria.
Thats five stadiums we have, six if you include Subiaco (is there a movement to get a proper rectangular stadium in Perth for Force + Glory??).
You talk about having games in Coffs Harbour/Sunshine Coast…Coffs would be a white elephant, a 35,000 seat stadium in a city of 65,000, who would use it afterwards.
If we include NZ, then we have three stadiums – Christchurch (currently being upgraded for 2011), Auckland and Wellington which meet the criteria.
I think in this case its best to share
December 2nd 2008 @ 10:28am
Simmo said | December 2nd 2008 @ 10:28am | Report comment
I’m also pessimistic about our chances of getting a WC (2018 or 2022). You don’t even have to get into a discussion about stadium size or availability. You don’t even need to discuss the machinations of FIFA politics. The main problem is that on merits Australia has marginal passing grades and there will always be bigger countries competing against us.
I’m a soccer fan first and foremost but I can’t see our bid(s) as being anything other than a waste of cash.
December 2nd 2008 @ 11:23am
Pippinu said | December 2nd 2008 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Millster
no need to explain.
I accept Towser’s point that if someone has any chance of doing it, it is Lowy.
On the other hand, we’ve all been around long enough to understand how FIFA operates, and how powerful UEFA has been to date. That is going to change one day, and indeed the AFC may one day rival it, but by the time the vote takes place, that won’t be the case.
December 2nd 2008 @ 11:45am
oikee said | December 2nd 2008 @ 11:45am | Report comment
If we can hold Olympics we can hold a football world cup. 2022 world cup is a definiant, by then we should have more stadium in place. Dont forget we will see some new stadium come on-line for our Commonwealth games bids. Keeping this in mind i think if Gold coast bid succeeds then larger stadia in Queensland would be looked at for also housing a Football world cup bid. Not sure what time of the year the world cup is played , but if its winter time i think i recalled, then Queensland stadiums are a must for tourists.
December 2nd 2008 @ 1:17pm
Slippery Jim said | December 2nd 2008 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
“Pretty much in agreement with…SJ”
Pippu, does that mean you think 2018 is possible after all???
December 2nd 2008 @ 1:56pm
Millster said | December 2nd 2008 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
Oikee – remember that the issues around a World cup and Olympics are very different. Olympics needs one of each of a range of different venues (one stadium, one swimming pool, one gymnasium, one velodrome etc) more or less within the one city whereas a World Cup needs 10+ very large stadia spread over minimum 5 to 6 cities. Also remember a World Cup by most measures is a far larger event overall than Olympics.
Not disagreeing that we should be proud and should put up our hands for it but it is a very different challenge than Olympics.