“I want to give my sympathy on behalf of the AFC that we are going to recognize and support Europe and their desire to host the 2018 tournament,” Bin Hammam told the AFC congress in early June.
That proclamation caught Australia’s World Cup bid team entirely by surprise.
Fortunately for Ben Buckley, that kind of awkward announcement only lasts a news cycle or two. The same can’t be said about the latest fiasco.
In a number of articles this week Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker highlighted “gifts” given to FIFA executive members, large consultant fees and federal aid agency involvement as potentially scandalous behaviour from the Australian World Cup bid.
Fairfax’s investigation has already been running prominently on their various websites for a few days now and, with FIFA running it’s own investigation in the Australian bid, it’s safe to say this “scandal” has legs.
Contrary to what you may have read on The Roar this week, Qatar’s bid has been struggling to find much traction amongst the FIFA executive members.
Couple that with the latest set of problems to bemoan Australia’s bid and the US delegation should be feeling pretty hopeful right about now.
Yet, all is not lost for Australia.
First of all, this isn’t the first World Cup bid to be “investigated” by FIFA in recent months. FIFA’s ethics committee has already looked at two other bids involved in the bidding process.
One of those was England’s following Lord Triesman’s ill-advised, and ultimately fatal, comments about the Spain/Portugal and Russian bids.
The other incident FIFA looked at is still so shrouded in secrecy that I’m not even sure I’m permitted to write about it.
Either way, while those two bids have been hurt, they are still alive.
Unless FIFA comes back with something substantial against FFA, an outcome I still see as being highly unlikely, Australians need not be too concerned.
However, personally I’m left troubled by the reaction from some members of the Australian football community. Lets be clear, accusations regarding the behaviour of Australia’s World Cup bid team should not be seen as an attack on Australian football.
When AU$45 million of taxpayer money is being spent, transparency is necessary. The Fairfax investigation, whether it’s concerns are proved valid or not, has provided that.
For me the question we still need to answer, and the real reason why transparency in such bids is important, is what price are we willing to pay for a successful World Cup? (And I’m not talking about pearl necklaces)
When I posed that question last year, the response was mixed. I wonder if people still feel the same.
Either way, Fairfax did us a favour by literally spelling out the answer and it’s AU$11.37 million for two consultants, Fedor Radmann and Peter Hargitay.
I’m wondering exactly what is it that Radmann and Hargitay are doing that’s worth so much money.
In another Fairfax article written days before their investigation into Australia’s World Cup bid, Dan Silkstone quoted Hargitay, who was introduced to Lowy by Les Murray, as saying that AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam “is my brother and I am his’.
Yet if Australia is paying Hargitay millions of dollars because of his close connections with Bin Hammam, then why did the AFC President so unequivocally embarrass FFA and Australia’s bid in Johannesburg three weeks ago?
How come Bin Hammam’s, now rather rich, “brother” didn’t know in advance and tell Frank Lowy and Ben Buckley?
At the moment the only silver lining around this latest cloud is half of the aforementioned AU$11.37 million figure will only be paid out if Australia wins the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.
Unfortunately it’s an “if” which just keeps getting bloody bigger.
Mr
Guest
Was always going to happen. Blind Freddy could see the agenda at play.
The Special One
Guest
As a follow up : FFA suing Melbourne newspaper The Age over FIFA World Cup 2022 bid http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27370582-5019088,00.html
MVDave
Guest
Now lets get on without anymore BS mudslinging and win this bid: http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/170876,government-clears-ffa-on-bid-spending.aspx In part the article says; "FFA CEO Ben Buckley said he was pleased that the Government had given FFA a clean bill of health over its financial reporting and any suggestions of dual accounts were outrageous and defamatory. "We told The Age at the beginning that there was no issue with our accounts and it is extremely disappointing that they went ahead and made these damaging claims anyway," Buckley said. "We are involved in an extremely sophisticated and competitive process where we are trying to bring the biggest sporting event in the world to Australia but we have always said that we would play by the rules. "All of our operations are in line with FIFA guidelines and our financial reporting meets our obligations under the funding agreement with the Government and any suggestion otherwise is completely wrong and the Government has accepted that. "The eyes of the football world are on this bidding process and any misleading suggestions and or implications have the potential to cause significant damage to the Bid, FFA and Australia."
Realfootball
Guest
Yes, Beaver, even now I look forward with eager anticipation to an AFL World Cup. As I am sure you and Redb are too. All it will take is an astroid to wipe every nation on earth except Australia. Actually, the astroid had better do in NSW and Qld too, come to think of it.
BigAl
Guest
. . Not at all !!! . . . but it will go away . . .
Beaver fever
Guest
Really !!, you were fascinated ?, excellent.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Well I'm surprised---such a good suggestion from you BigAl ;) you then agree it was just a media beat-up to derail the WC bid as Ben Buckley has stated.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Quite the contrary little Beaver, my thoughts have not wavered on that subject one bit. My suppressed thoughts are that all codes are team games played on grassy fields. However, the “Football name” is an English game name and the Australian indigenous name is Marngrook. I have read posts of yours also claiming that line of thought. But as it seems you have an Australian Cringe to except that fact.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Spend billions upon billions of dollars, and get $80 million back, wow, that's a good deal!! In Australia's case, the AFL already has first dibs on that $80 mill as part of the compensation package agreed by all parties.
BigAl
Guest
AF - If I were you I would just shuddup about this and wait till it all goes away ! . . . . eventually it will. . .
Beaver fever
Guest
If i was soccer i would be doing everything bar throwing the kitchen sink at corrupt 3rd world tin pot FIFA officials in the vain hope of keeping the A-league afloat as Frank wont keep it afloat if their is no prize for him. I would be interested though in you linking some prize winning journo's to the AFL, believe they are Sydney based to the SMH, which has little love for the AFL.
Beaver fever
Guest
Um, no i dont, i have a problem with people who claim that their form of football is the "real football", and no other forms of football should be called fooball. BTW i will still call it soccer in this country, as it has always been known (in general) whilst in many countries it is called football, but in nearly all these cases they have no native football code.
Con Stamocostas
Roar Pro
If I was the AFL I would be doing everything in it's power to stop the vuvuzela's from coming to Australia in 2022. I'd even get award winning journalist to copy and past old information so I can spread faux outrage.
Realfootball
Guest
I was fascinated to read that the Australian government is contributing to the grassroots development of AFL in South Africa. Who knew that Kevin Rudd's administration had such a lively, prankster's sense of humour! Dear old Kevin, he was a joker all along. AFL in South Africa. What could poor Julia do to top that?
Norm
Guest
Ausaid money supporting aussie rules in Sth Africa has no credibility.
punter
Guest
Yes RedB, caught doing what???? They are investigating an allegation. They have not been caught doing anything. I just checked the BBC website, about this massive scandal, lead stories are all about this current World Cup. I've check ESPN, Skysports, Eurosport websites, they are talking about the WC, no-one is mentioning about this major scandal that Australia have been caught.
punter
Guest
Love it bring it on, bad publicity doesn't hurt other sports in Australia. Bring the WC here.
Mushi
Guest
So what it’s a small part of a made up number with no rhyme or reason. Hey if the economic benefit is a potato then that is one hell of an expensive potato
Australian Football
Roar Guru
ha ha you have a problem with the FFA rebranding my code from soccer to Football---a bit of maturity cuts both ways..
The Special One
Guest
By this account South Africa Football Association will receive a $80 million pay day from FIFA regardless if the tournament makes any money. http://www.india-server.com/news/world-cup-organisers-get-profit-28143.html I could imagine in 2022 that could be even larger, if as i expect the Oz version wouldnt make much money. No wonder the FFA are keen to pay these consultants money. The pay off is huge.