Hosting football’s World Cup in 2018 or 2022 could deliver a $5 billion revenue windfall to Australia. So says Kevin Rudd, who has put his prime ministerial stamp of approval on Australia’s audacious campaign to host what politicians, players and administrators described as “the greatest show on earth”.
“The challenge is great, but the prize is even greater,” Mr Rudd declared at the official bid launch in federal parliament’s Great Hall on Sunday.
Australia will be up against nine other bids when world body FIFA makes its decision on both the 2018 and 2022 championships in December next year.
They include four bids from Europe – England, Russia and joint campaigns from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Holland – as well as the US, Mexico and three from Asia besides Australia – Japan/South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar.
Mr Rudd said the estimated $5 billion in World Cup associated revenues was 0.5 per cent of GDP – “nothing to be sneezed at” – and the cumulative TV audience for next year’s World Cup in South Africa was estimated at 40 billion.
Mr Rudd and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull presented a united political front to an audience studded with football stars past and present, including current captain Lucas Neill, goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and coach Pim Verbeek, as well as former coach Rale Rasic and ex-players Harry Williams, Adrian Alston and Joe Marston, the first Aussie to play in an English FA Cup Final.
“It’s not often the prime minister and I agree on something as big as this,” said Mr Turnbull, “but the coalition will line up with the Labor Party side by side, joined at the hip, as dual strikers, to bring the greatest show on earth to the greatest place on earth, our home Australia.”
“This is a big dream,” said Socceroo captain Lucas Neill, “but the more I think about it, the more I believe ‘Yes we can’.”
Mark Schwarzer said: “Bringing the World Cup here would be bigger than anything we have ever seen before.”
No continent is allowed to stage two World Cups in succession, so if Australia misses out on one it could still snare the other.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has already indicated the event could return to Europe, the game’s powerhouse, which will have missed out on three World Cup cycles if it dips out in 2018.
But Australia is having nothing of it, insisting that its challenge for 2018 is serious and credible.
“Together we can make the dream come true,” said Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy.
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