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You can’t escape it can you? It’s a testament to the significance of Friday’s vote on who will host the 2022 World Cup that everywhere you look, it’s being discussed.
Even those who don’t normally write about the world game, have been giving their two cents worth over the last few days.
For me the anticipation started well over a week ago when conversations with others within the Australian football community started to regularly descend into a dissection of the bidding process and Australia’s chances. Since then, things have only gathered momentum.
In the early hours of yesterday morning as I drove home from a long overnight shift covering European football at SBS’ Sydney studios, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I will find myself going through after the final vote is cast by the FIFA executive committee.
It’s maddening, and for me, the next few days probably can’t go fast enough.
My concern is not because I think Australia can’t win or that failure will doom the game in this country, but because I see Friday’s decision as one of the most important moments thus far in the history of Australian football (the Crawford report remains the pinnacle as it is the catalyst for all that has come after it).
From my perspective it’s quite simple. The game in Australia will take one of two distinct paths once 12 men in Zurich finally manage to cast the same vote later this week.
If Australia is awarded the rights to host the 2022 World Cup, a huge boost to the game’s profile in this country will come along with it.
It won’t all be easy sailing for Football Federation Australia though and no matter what the final decision, there is still so much work left to be done at all levels of the game.
It’s a challenge that won’t be helped by an increase in hostilities between the different sporting codes as the fight for greater market share heats up.
Then we come to the other path Australia could take. The one that will leave a sinking feeling in the pits of countless stomachs across the country.
Part of the reason I’m so anxious about this decision is because, like everyone else in the football community, it will directly affect me, the game I’ve dedicated myself to and my career.
Of course football will go on in Australia, but I see a “football recession” in the game’s future if things don’t pan out in Zurich.
Like pruning a tree, cutting back some sections of the game may be necessary to help it gradually grow in the future and the football media will be hit hard.
While I’ll try to put this out of my mind, I suspect the next few days will be spent ruminating on the permutations of this possible outcome.
So while I could tell you the whispers I’ve heard about who’s vote is going where, or make a bold predictions about what I think will happen in Zurich on Friday, this is my reality.
Like many others, a large part of my mind will be wondering what the future holds for me as the 22 (or now possibly 23) executive committee members cast their votes.
Meanwhile there are already comforting sounds coming out of the Australian camp that plans are being formed for both eventualities.
News Limited writer David Davutovic tweeted that FFA chief executive Frank Lowy had told him, “Life will go on, the development of football in Australia will go on… With the bid in our pocket it would be a lot better.”
It’s pragmatic and honest from Lowy and while over the last few years I’ve had many doubts and concerns over the bid, I’m putting all that aside for the rest of this week.
My fingers are crossed, my hopes are high and I’m preparing myself for the worse.
But that’s ok.
After having sat through Iran ‘97, watched corrupt football administrators exploit the game throughout the 90s and still been able to enjoy the successes that have followed, I know we’ll be all right either way.
In the end Friday’s vote will be another part of the rich fabric of Australian football’s history. I just might be a little depressed for a few days after is all.
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