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December 2nd could mark the beginning of the end for FIFA. With anger still raging in England over a 2018 World Cup bid which garnered just two votes, expect a concerted push from one of world game’s traditional stakeholders to wrest power back from the Swiss-based oligarchy.
The predictably parochial tabloid press aside, much of the outrage in England stemmed not from the fact Russia were awarded hosting rights to the 2018 World Cup, but rather the fact the entire voting process was clearly open to geo-political manipulation.
There are plenty of question marks about Russia’s size and history of racism, but consecutive World Cups in South Africa and Brazil suggest neither are major concerns for FIFA.
What has infuriated the English about the World Cup bidding process was the obvious lack of transparency, with FIFA ignoring its own technical report to award the tournament to a country fraught with organisational risks.
England’s own bid was hardly scandal-free, but that won’t stop those in London from advocating the establishment of a rival governing body – such is the anger felt over what many believe was the awarding of a World Cup purely for commercial reasons.
Certainly most Australians felt awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar had everything to do with the Middle-East’s vast oil reserves, and little to with an attempt to spread the so-called beautiful game throughout the volatile region.
But with our professional league barely six years old and a World Cup pedigree which spans only three tournaments, can we honestly say Australia deserves to host a World Cup?
How about we start fixing the myriad problems in the A-League first, beginning with this ludicrous fixture list?
North Queensland Fury coach Franz Straka said what many were thinking on Saturday night, after his team went down to Newcastle Jets in what was their third game in just six days.
“The question is how is this possible? You play on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday,” Straka told AAP reporters after his team’s frustrating defeat.
And with the inquest now in full swing over our embarrassing showing in Friday’s World Cup vote, maybe we should also start questioning why Football Federation Australia signed off on such an inappropriate fixture list in the first place.
Playing midweek games is one thing – and they’re not going too well when only 1,700 fans show up – but it’s impossible to play high-quality football with such small squads and a tight turnaround in time.
Did no one at FFA realise this? Were they so blinded by the World Cup bid that common sense flew out the door when it came time to devise the A-League fixture list?
Then there’s the refereeing. It’s the oldest trick in the book to criticise officials, but there’s no point turning a blind eye to things like Brisbane Roar’s controversial late equaliser against Melbourne Victory, which arrived after Roar goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos seemingly handled the ball outside the penalty area.
We may hold little sway in the corridors of power at FIFA, but things like illogical fixture lists and constant refereeing errors are easily fixed, while the A-League’s botched expansion must also be addressed.
Our failed World Cup bid is a kick in the teeth, but the silver lining is the fact the A-League can finally receive some much-needed attention from the administrators paid good money to run it.
The time has come to reconnect with fans and former players, and start building our domestic league into the kind of competition which commands respect throughout the region and beyond.
It’s only then we should consider another World Cup bid, since it’s palpably obvious cartoon kangaroos and 80’s actors have zero influence in the real world of football politics.