The peak oil and likely demise of cheap long haul flights is a scary fact of life and should be factored in to everything, let alone a World Cup in the antipodes 13 years from now.

I think the idea of teaming with Indonesia has a lot of merit as above – it will stop the Asian vote being split and give us a good chance over USA for 2022.

Matty 1974 – utter bulls**t I’m sorry to say – because from the AFL’s perspective you include Etihad and “probably Subiaco” as available to the AFL during a FIFA World Cup. Demetriou made very clear that if this was the case then no real problems – some minor negotations about compensation for other losses. But without Etihad it cripples an AFL season and affects revenue for years around that season – again see the barklystend blogspot. So Matty 1974 Demetriou is in agreement with you if you’re statement was correct, sadly at present it is not and the FFA threatens to get government to decree that AFL get evicted from their stadium.

MV Dave – maybe the world will cope with the looming energy crisis and coming permanent oil shock. My heart says yes, my head after reading about this for years and talking to several oil engineers tells me we’re in for big changes and cheap airfares will be a distant memory by 2022.

There is no way the MCG will not form part of the WC bid – but by all means pointlessly lobby the FFA about that.

Its just all the negative hype from the AFL that has been picked up by the international press.

Don’t worry, Demetriou will get his back when he tries to play some AFL games in Sydney and start a new team up here.

Demitriou claimed that the whole season may need to be scrapped. Yet no-one asked why he couldn’t play in early March with a GF in October. Further, he said the WC would threaten thie viability of AFL clubs. Given that his organisation has been the biggest danger to Melbourne’s AFL clubs this is quite amusing. The AFL did kill Fitzroy and had similar designs on NM.

What’s sad is that not one journalist asked him why the whole season would be cancelled. Even if the MCG & Dome were unavailable for 10 weeks does anyone thing the AFL would cancel the season?

I also doubt this “skirmish” was not planned for December when no AFL is being played. The idea is for the WC bid to die whilst us football supporters forget the fuss by the time following the AFL comes around again in March, and especially in September

Remember we are chasing and hoping to get the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVqknI7GGI

Thus another extremely good reason for FFA to liaise with Indonesia FA – as chances of actually getting the thing would go up.

But FFA wants to unfairly cripple its business rivals with taxpayer dollars and by government decree.

This may well end up in the High Court and sad and embarrassing for the whole nation.

FFA should’ve consulted properly before submitting the bid. But Lowy thinks as richest man in the nation he can do what he likes and furthermore make both sides of politics do what he likes.

The world in 2022 would be better to go to USA.

Best is to change bid to joint Australia-Indonesia bid. This would meet Lowy’s main pitch to FIFA to take the game to Asia. It would half costs or more – as wouldn’t have to build extra stadia so much. It would allow some justice to the AFL and NRL so they won’t be ordered out of their stadia by government decree at behest of their competitor the FFA and create such a sour taste re the WC for vast numbers of AFL and NRL fans and financial hardship, job losses and club failures for AFL and NRL – unless government comes up with another half billion compensation.

A joint bid would leave lasting benefits for Indonesia-Australia relations. Far better than stadia that sit like white elephants.

UEFA cup has had valid bids from dual countries – UEFA 2008 by Scotland-Ireland, 2016 by Norway-Sweden.

Alternative bid would be ANZ bid – seeing as A-League and FFA really are both ANZ bodies – why was NZ left out – in order to purposely not have enough stadia so AFL and NRL could be hacked???

But ANZ bid would still have trouble from peak oil and vastly higher air fares than we enjoy today.

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KB

It’s anti the FFA plan for the AFL and NRL competitions in a host year. Get it?

Trust me the FFA will negotiate with both comps for the best outcome for all whether soccer fans like it or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJoi2QpbiF4

Nice song Pippi boy… and nice note… (Kurt who said the ROAR has lost its humour)

Kurt … are you serious…? All of your posts have been on the Football thread—-I actually thought you were one of us—a Football Zealot… I had no idea your preferred code was Marn Grooky….

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KB

It is nteresting that Ray Gatt of the Australian, who has been around just as long as Cockerill, believes damage has been done by the in fighting and felt Australia may have lost their chance, while the Herald’s Richard Hinds points out lots of good will was lost by the antics of the sneering mass of soccer fans proclaiming their code will eventually conquer the country (while continually ignoring their own league).

Will those deciding the bid look at domestic crowds?

Good luck to you Spiro, you made your predictions, we’ll all remember them come December next year…while in the meantime we’ll no doubt read dozens more articles from Cockerill fawning over Frank Lowy and moaning about feral sports editors running league and AFL stories over the A-League.

apparently October is too far gone to remember, however, Gallop described it as unworkable and club chiefs threatened a revolt. At the time, the Demetrioiu quotes were “We haven’t yet seen a detailed explanation from the FFA as to what would be required from other major sporting organisations in Australia, so I would rather wait to see that,”

Back in October it was Gallop going that step further “We will obviously wait until they do that, but on the face of it we couldn’t see how it would work,”

Even now – some NRL club bosses have suggested that it could be the death knell for cash-strapped outfits.

Carefully look at what Demetriou has been saying even just this last week:

-You can have the MCG for up to 10 weeks, but, anymore would kill the AFL season – - – fair enough.

- still supports the bid in principle (a nice diplomatic line!! and granted – it’s easy to say this if you are pretty certain that the detail will be unworkable)

-You can’t have Etihad, (after all, apart from anything else, the AFL offices are within the complex – - and the new 100% Govt funded Swan St stadium was trumpeted by State Govt as being able to be expanded for a World Cup),

the AFL are not blocking the bid at this point – - it’s the FFA and Vic State Govt who seemingly don’t want to spend some dollars on a dedicated rectangle stadium to do to it what they said all along would be done to it………..this may not mean much outside of Victoria,

but, apart from anything else – it’s not the AFL’s issue to fix or to work around.

and remember again, the AFL started/ended season 2000 1 month early – - – for the Olympics, which freed up the MCG to be used for Olympic Soccer matches.

Fifa doesnt care if the intrastructure exists, all it cares about is that it WILL exist at the time of the tournament.. It is probably preferable that the country which hosts the WC is putting an investment towards bettering the game, ie the intrastructure.

Oval stadia is fine even Germany had oval stadia because it was played out of olympic stadiums. No big deal.

The sydney olympics.. is the SYDNEY olympics we had a population of 3.5 million.. And we sold out pretty much EVERY event even bloody badminton.. Im pretty sure the Football WC played AROUND australia will have NO issues.. And will be pretty much sold out in a instant.. Dont forget travelling fans will also snap up tickets to.

England will definately be getting the 2018 WC.. They are the home of football and have the worlds strongest competition.. No other place in Europe deserves it over England.

Being a Sydneysider it suits me. 4x the possibility to see Brazil Spain England Netherlands etc. Dream come true!

I think you were prepared to take up arms on another thread a few months ago

Has anyone any time ever been pursuaded to think differently by internet comments. Bob from WA has always hated Football and was going to say something negative about the Wcup, ED from Fitzroy has always hated AFL and was going to put in his 5c.

small problems…where you see drama we see oppurtunity

Imagine 30k Germans cheering on the least 17 year old Pakistani Quick who launches a bouncer at Michael Clarke and knocks his helmet off.

The Bundisliga would have to rest for a few weeks sure, but for the next 50 years after that it will go on largely uninterupted.

And Redb, isn’t the fact that that so many Australian’s travel to the World Cup, (per capita, probably the highest of all countries) proof that there is a great desire for Australia to experience the world cup rather than a round where the smaller clubs are hosting all the games?

there’s a difference in what you describe (rather poetically), and the FFA renegging rather publicly (in press from October, and video presentation to the world in November) on Etihad stadium,

Do you realise the AFL offices are part of the Docklands/Etihad building? Etihad is not just a stand alone stadium.

Buckley knows this.

Tell me that Buckley is a prick who renegged on an understanding with old friend Demetriou (for whom he was best man at his wedding),

or tell me that it must just be Frank Lowy over ruling Ben Buckley.

The AFL has simply stated that Etihad is not on the table. Get over it. Build Swan St to 43,000. Is that too hard???