Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and FFA Chairman Frank Lowy center left. AP Photo/Rob Griffith
As excitement builds for the start of South Africa 2010, there is, sadly, no correlation of excitement or even traction in Australia for our very own World Cup bid, despite the decision on its success or failure looming in December.
With the deadline for final bid documents less than a fortnight away, and with the FFA reportedly still locked in negotiations until very recently to secure the MCG (surely a deal breaker considering Etihad Stadium is off limits for the World Cup) with question marks over other stadiums, the perception of the bid is that it’s a faltering mistake.
This perception, however, has only been fostered by the lack of any sort of promotion and excitement generated within the country for the bid.
If a FIFA delegate arrived in Sydney or Melbourne today, what evidence would they find that Australia was even bidding to host the biggest sporting event in the world?
There’d be none, and the only news they’d read on the bid is the ongoing stadium saga caused by the protracted discussions to appease other codes – something that is unique to Australia’s bid and has, sadly, been the major talking point of the bid thus far.
Like the ambivalence around the A-League, the lack of clout at the FFA, with little marketing and media presence is having a debilitating impact on the World Cup bid, which is barely visible in the Australian community.
When was the last time you saw the World Cup bid promo video on your screens?
(On bid videos, how embarrassing that the World Cup bid promo video featuring Nicole Kidman that was shown to delegates around the world proclaims that Australia hosts the Indy 500!)
The last significantly visible World Cup bid promo I can think of off the top of my head was the A-League round when all teams had the ‘Come Play!’ insignia on their shirts.
There are no billboards or other promotions visible that are worthy of mention that are generating significant support for the bid.
As Craig Foster says, the game is in isolation – and the World Cup bid is suffering from this isolation.
In contrast to our rivals our bid is suffering in silence.
Qatar, one of our likely rivals for 2022 and too often overlooked when discussing genuine contenders, has been aggressively promoting its bid at home and abroad.
Not only did their bid feature prominently in the recent Qatar MotoGP round – an event watched by millions across the world, specifically in Europe – but they even went as far as advertising at the Bernabeu stadium during “Il Classico”.
The United States of America has been aggressively pushing its own World Cup bid within the country as part of a greater push to widen the popularity of its national team at a time when the game is substantially growing.
As executive director of the U.S. bid David Downs told my colleague Davidde Corran, “We think it is very important to be promoting the bid within the United States.
“On the one hand this is an election campaign where only 24 votes matter, and only one of those votes belongs to someone who is in the US, but it is very important for us, as in every political campaign, to have the support of the grassroots community.”
As Downs says, the World Cup bid’s success or failure won’t be judged on an Australian Idol-type popularity contest amongst the respective populations of the bidding nations – a signal of interest or want, if you will – but it needs grassroots support.
The lack of interest, unity and desire to want to host the event in Australia is concerning, and won’t go unnoticed – particularly when the other codes are dictating the World Cup bid’s agenda in the press and at the negotiation table over stadiums.
The excitement toward the bid won’t generate itself, particularly in a football ambivalent society like Australia’s.
To that end, our bid is failing.
Our bid has Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Ian Thorpe (appropriate considering Australia’s nauseating obsession with all things celebrity), but so what?
Is ‘our Nicole’ really going to sacrifice her next $30 million movie to mingle with FIFA officials in the corporate boxes of stadiums around the world?
You can’t help but think England’s David Beckham is a far better and more relevant spokesperson for their bid than our strangers to football.
One has to wonder (be concerned) why the likes of Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill and Mark Schwarzer, let alone former Socceroos such as Mark Viduka, aren’t more involved in the bidding process.
Our bid’s strength (only real strength) may be in social media circles (Australia’s Facebook bid page had 141,028 fans at last count compared to the USA’s 25,970), but this medium’s limitation is that it doesn’t set agendas (as well as being facile, at times).
The deafening silence from the FFA as the other codes have delayed on stadium negotiations to the brink of the deadline date for such negotiations to have been completed is one of immense frustration for football followers, and all this has been played out in the press with scant countering points on the sheer scope, size and enormity of what a World Cup would bring to Australia.
In this isolation and silence, other codes have been able to cast doubt on the World Cup bid and exploit the lack of strong leadership at the FFA to use their stronger popularity base in Australia to plant fears and exaggerations.
Andrew Demetriou must chuckle at how easily he rattled the World Cup bid’s cage with his posturing.
As the aforementioned Foster says: “It is high time Australians demanded more from those at the bargaining table. We are better, and bigger, than this. So get the deal done and stop the rot, for the love of God. If love of country is not enough.”
And it is high time the bid generated some excitement, noise and traction at home, so the doubters and skeptics can’t overshadow what hosting a World Cup means to this country.
If there is no want or desire for an Australian World Cup, then we should ask ourselves why we are bothering to bid for it for the millions it’s costing could have been better spent in stabilising the A-League’s foundations, supporting the grassroots of the game or, and this is a crucial and often overlooked point, finding ways to unite ‘old soccer’ with ‘new football’ and better tie the state leagues and former NSL clubs to the A-League and the National Youth League.
If the World Cup won’t have a united Australia behind it then we don’t have the right to host and sully the tournament.
If we want a World Cup in Australia we need to show it.
But that desire can only engulf the country if the flame is first sparked by the spruikers themselves – and those spruikers are conspicuous by their silence
B-A-T
Roar Rookie
"Research has shown consistently for the past 3-4 years that the Socceroos are Australia’s favorite national team.” Astonishingly yet another Simpsons analogy I can apply here - Disco Stu: 'Did you know that disco record sales were up 400% for the year ending 1976? If these trends continue… A-y-y-y!' Then again this is just some opinion survey, not an actual sales report. Perhaps the analogy isn't so adaptive after all.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Redb - That Silkstone article....interesting : Another of the AFL's hoped-for outcomes - a new stadium at Blacktown that could be configured for use by Greater Western Sydney - has been rebuffed, with the FFA successfully arguing that Australian football has already obtained a hugely beneficial legacy through the bid process, including large-scale refurbishments of Adelaide Oval, Subiaco, Carrara and Geelong's Skilled Stadium. The World Cup bid was instrumental in securing all of those projects and two of them - Geelong and the Gold Coast - will be used solely by AFL clubs after the World Cup. Still overstating the 'benefit' to the AFL given that Adelaide Oval is largely a redirection of funds/effort from AAMI upgrade (that get's downgraded as part of the project), that Subiaco has simply been delayed because of WC speculation in a grab for Fed funds, and that the Geelong project will be only a small increase in capacity with much of the funds spent in a short term reconfig and then the subsequent deconfig. And, the major issue here is Silkstone's last point : re Subiaco - As with the other venues under discussion, it will only be completed in the event that Australia's World Cup bid is successful. hmmm.....something fishy there.
Michael C
Roar Guru
the only reason the AFL is wanting an assurance about the MCG is frankly that they don't trust the feeble verbally muttered claptrap of the FFA......... and you can't blame them, because, as we all know, the FFA is NOT the negotiating party - - they don't have the say, FIFA does, and as we all know, FIFA is headed by Sepp Blatter, and as we all know, he will tell you exactly what you want to hear......today......and stab you in the back tomorrow.
MV Dave
Guest
"The A-League final was out-rated by all 8 NRL games on the same weekend. Sterling stuff." As usual Chris dont let lies and BS get in the way of a good story; "Sydney Beats Melbourne In an A-League Thriller The extra time period of the A-League Grand Final, in which Sydney FC beat Melbourne Victory 4-2 in penalty kicks, topped the week for subscription TV with 272,000 viewers (listed as Live: Football: A-League Post Game Show on FOX Sports overleaf). Live: NRL Wests Tigers v Sea Eagles was seen by 241,000 people" From the ASTRA site...of course your apology wont be forthcoming but try and stick to facts occassionally.
chardonnay
Guest
As a fan of Aussie Rules footy including the AFL, and a follower of most other sport I would love to see the World Cup in Australia. Why has the FFA been unable to clarify the rules around stadia, the length of time required & the close down of other codes - these issues have festered & the FFA need to accept the issues have been in their court & they have not addressed them. For WC fans to ignore that both the NRL & AFL concerns involve the livelihood of professional players and administrators, and the marketing & television agreements that will support them before (& after) the World Cup has given oxygen to the fire that burns within the critics, the ardent AFL club supporter, the NRL fan. Bit rich to slag Messrs Gallop & Demetriou, they have tough jobs and will not capitulate, nor should they. They must protect their competitions & as the FFA need their support, they must be treated accordingly.
Towser
Guest
Recent intellectual sophisticated action after an Owls/Blades derby. derby.http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Sheffield-Wednesday-and-United-fans.6238584.jp These lads are definitely not going to an ale free zone.
st. penguin
Guest
tolerate a few weeks without beer? But that would be giving in to the terrorists!
Dogz R Barkn
Roar Guru
Of course it's a ploy by the AFL, a form of wedge politics. They will argue that they can't release the MCG until they see something in writing from FIFA (an outlandish request). The FFA doesn't want to raise it with FIFA (who, in any event, will hardly be interested), it makes it look like they have zero control, which is partly true. All that equals an impasse, which suits the AFL.
Redb
Roar Guru
Thanks to TT, Jimbo on some rugby stadium clarification. The MCG is the home of football and is central to the game in Melbourne. KB, You still see things in black and white. This is a fluid situation, I'm not privy to the goings on behind closed doors and at the negotiation table. The AFL will not be allowed to just blatantly refuse to co-operate without some cause. Despite your preference to vilify the AFL and Demetriou at every turn, the day of outright rejection of support passed long ago. The MCG is a bargaining chip, in negotiation you dont just give it away and get railroaded.
jimbo
Roar Guru
We will, but will the English fans go for that long without a beer?
True Tah
Guest
Redb there are three rugby stadiums being used for the FIFA WC - Loftus Versfeld, Free State Stadium and Coca Cola Park (formerly Ellis Park). Of these, Loftus is owned by the provincial rugby union. The only issue this causes is that the Bulls may not be able to play their finals at Loftus, as neither the Cheetahs or the Lions will be playing home finals.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
I don't buy it. AD has gone on record that the AFL competition will go ahead no matter what. He has declared his hand---no need to get any confirmation or permission of any sort. He has no intention of closing down the AFL season for any amount of time at any time. He has made that very clear to the FFA and the Government. It's just a stalling tactic to sabotage the WC bid book submission.
jimbo
Roar Guru
Not True Redb. Ellis Park, Free State, Royal Bafokeng and Loftus Versfeld stadiums are all used for Rugby Union and will be vacated for the SA World Cup. The federal govt has overridden the FFA and told the AFL, ARU and NRL they can play their competitions while the WC is on. It doesn't mean we can't win the bid, but we will be marked down on that guideline by FIFA.
Redb
Roar Guru
"so why do they want a letter from the FFA with that assurance?" Because any professional body worth its salt gets it in writing. The AFL is also asking according to Dan Silkstone (soccer/AFL writer with the AGE) for an assurance that the MCG wont be unavailable for more than 12 weeks. I don't blame the AFL due to the messy state of negotiations to expect some clarity. According to Silkstone the FFA are reluctant to approach FIFA on getting the assurance of playing on.
Redb
Roar Guru
TT, My main point is that soccer is not using the rugby stadiums in South Africa, rugby can continue in its own stadiums. The MCG is contracted to the AFL through this period, it is the main AFL stadium. Therefore, it is a different situation. Interestingt hough that if rugby is 'allowed' to continue and this has FIFA approval, why is it so difficult for the FFA to request the same leeway with FIFA? cheers
Michael C
Roar Guru
The Bear - - we haven't needed an AFL world cup.......and yet soccer has benefitted hugely from being able to access the MCG over and over, and Docklands (Etihad), (not to mention NRL geared facilities up north).
realfootball
Guest
Absolutelty agree. Which is is just as well, as there is noone else. AFL can play in its own sandpit all by itself.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Footy is a slang word often used by AFL fans in regards to their game. But if you start using it formally it would feel wrong. Soccer (also slang) is in the same boat.
B-A-T
Roar Rookie
"B-A-T, if you think any insecurity by soccer fans is a “fascinating insight”..." It is, I mean I can understand the Johnny Warren era and I would justify lashing out by soccer folk during that period. But we live in the year 2010, times have changed; maybe you are just older than other people on this forum. Many soccer zealots feel past injustices somehow justify being obnoxious arseholes today. That I think is more of a reflection of ones' mental capacity. This inferiority complex is very damaging to soccer, as it blinds one to reason and has resulted in much anti-AFL anti-NRL hysteria, a sort of counter-backlash if you will. The only problem is, those sports are popularly supported, thus attempts to 'put them in their place' will only further alienate soccer from ordinary Australians. Yes its hard to let go for some soccer fans, having felt past prejudices, but holding a grudge isn't going to do them or their sport any good. A look at history suggests that, those who harbour a heavy chip on their shoulder tend to be self-fulfilling personalities, i.e. they unnecessarily reinforce their own perceived inferiority.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
No I don't know; Frank and Demetriou don't know either I suspect and why should anyone care. AD has gone on record he will allow the FFA to use the MCG with its availabity for the WC and stated no matter what the AFL is going ahead with its competition with Etihad---so why do they want a letter from the FFA with that assurance? Does it really matter if FIFA say yes or no? If FIFA say no or even yes it's no skin off the AFL's nose, it's just a decision FIFA have to make whether or not they give the WC to Australia or not on that bases.