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Gold Coast United FC head coach and director of football, Miron Bleiberg (centre) celebrates with Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO Ben Buckley and Gold Coast United CEO Clive Mensink at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
It’s about six months out from the deadline, the FFA has to put in its formal bid to FIFA for Australia to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, and the fans of Australia’s more popular domestic codes have discovered the sacrifice they will need to make smack bang in the middle of their seasons.
No less than an eight week hiatus over June and July.
It’s inconceivable that the AFL would ever agree to such a drastic action, considering that Melbourne has not gone with more than one weekend without its own brand of football over the course of 150 years.
Interestingly, Ben Buckley would know this only too well, having operated as Demetriou’s right hand man up to a few years ago.
So what precisely is happening?
The clue to the game being played out is in the manner in which Frank Lowy always publicly mentions 2018 as if Australia is a realistic chance to win hosting rights.
We all understand that Australia has a snowball’s chance of winning the rights to 2018 (it’s a slightly different matter for 2022), and most importantly, Frank Lowy would know that better than anyone else.
This is our main clue to what is truly happening.
That which is being played out before our very eyes has nothing to do with winning hosting rights for 2018, and everything to do with the Federal Government (and State Governments) believing that Australia is a realistic chance for 2018.
With the bid due in May 2010, and the details of all dozen or so stadiums that will be required around Australia needing to be finely calibrated, at some point over the next few months, the Federal Government (along with any State Government wanting to get further into debt) will need to commit two or three billion dollars over the next six years to put in a credible bid in relation to 2018.
Whether 2018 is won or lost is not the key here – nailing those billions of dollars in government funding is the name of the game.
The money will be locked into the forward estimates of the 2010-11 budget by May 2010, and that will be a victory in its own right.
Pretending to win 2018 means the money is committed sooner rather than later.
What if both 2018 and 2022 fails? Some heavy duty lobbying will need to commence to ensure that as much money in the budget as possible is salvaged – but the all important first step is getting it in there.
So as you read this, Ben Buckley is meeting with Andrew Demetriou in Jolimont, and the conversation is going something like this:
AD: Two months??!! You never said anything about closing shop for two months.
BB: It’s all right Andy, it’s not going to happen, we won’t win it, you just have to pretend to agree to it.
AD: But mate, footy fans will want my head for this.
BB: You just have to ride it out, think of all the loot that’s waiting at the end of it all!
AD: All right Bucks, let’s talk about how we split it up.
BB: We both get a multi purpose stadium in Adelaide.
AD: Tick. And can you throw in an upgrade of Subi?
BB: Ok. We get an upgrade of Bruce, and you get an upgrade of Manuka.
AD: Tick.
BB: We get upgrades of the grounds in Wollongong and Newcastle, and a new ground out West somewhere; you get your upgrade of the showgrounds.
AD: Hmm ok, but we need that one pretty quickly.
BB: I’ll try and set that one up as the first cab off the rank.
AD: Ok.
BB: We get an upgrade of Dairy Farmers, and you get an upgrade of Carrara. How’s that looking?
AD: Hmm, can you throw in an upgrade of the oval at Cairns??
BB: Geez, how am I going to sell that one?
AD: Tell ‘em Costa Rica will use it as a training base.
BB: Good one Andy!!
AD: Is it really this easy to get money out of the Feds?
BB: Yeah, it is, we just keep telling them that for a $3 billion investment in sports infrastructure, we get $5 billion back in economic activity (which includes their original $3 billion, but they don’t know that), and we leave our kids a lasting legacy – it wins the argument every time!
(The above dialogue, and indeed the whole of this article, is completely made up and is not intended to cast aspersions on anyone’s good character except my own).
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