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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.