Gasp… shock… horror… I know.
Yes, more than $45 million of tax-payers money would’ve been wasted, but that’s hardly the first time that has happened. The thing to keep in mind this week is not if Australia will win the right to host a FIFA World Cup, but when.
It would be a minor miracle if Football Australia Chairman Frank Lowy and CEO Ben Buckley pulled this off. That’s not to say that Australia doesn’t deserve the tournament.
Lowy and Buckley have navigated FIFA’s corridors of power with the skill and precision of a David Beckham free kick (the type he normally delivers, not the one he hit on Saturday night against the Jets).
They’ve won many friends and shown the most powerful men in football that Australia now respects “the world game” and has left “soccer” behind.
A safe, fun and profitable World Cup plan has been put forward and FIFA is impressed. But will it be enough? We’ll find out just after 2am eastern daylight time on Friday morning.
But what if we don’t experience an Olympic style “and the winner is… Sydney moment”?
There’ll be a feeling of resentment and anger. That’s only natural. FIFA came and told us how beautiful we were, that they liked us and thought we were smart and funny. Now they’ll possibly dump us.
We’ll sit in our room for a while and listen to the mix-tape they gave us and even shed a tear or two, but then we’ll start to feel better. It’s true that this is an important week for the game in Australia, but it isn’t the be all and end all.
Hosting a World Cup would go a long way to making football the number one sport in Australia. The interest and financial benefits would be huge and the game would never be the same.
But if the 2022 World Cup goes to one of our rivals then the A-League won’t die, the Socceroos will still gather in camp and you’ll still be able to find kids playing football in the park.
Perspective is the key this week. This is the first World Cup Australia has been in the running for, but should we lose, hopefully FFA and the Federal Government can muster up the courage to go again.
It won’t be a popular move with some, but it is the right move. Australia might not win this one, but the country will host a World Cup one day.
It’s inevitable.
You can follow Luke on twitter @luke_doherty and on Sky News Australia.
mahony
Guest
Great comment.
mobo
Guest
Life does go on. Yet to look at it negatively if the U.S or Qatar are announced as winners, my heart will sink and I will be in disbelief. We might not help FIFA's pockets all that much compared to the USA in the short term but I know we will have one of the best FIFA World Cups if we're awarded just like we had one of the best Olympics. God I hope I don't feel dead come Friday morning.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
Share your sentiments NY. Nice comment.
jimbo
Roar Guru
Luke, Australia is not going to "win the World Cup this week" - maybe in four years time in Brazil. :) We will however win the bid to host the World Cup in 2022 in Australia and don't worry it won't be the end of the NRL or AFL or life as we know it in Australia.
mr.jones
Guest
That is the best comment ive ever read on this site, i can read it over and over again!
JamesP
Guest
I have said it before and I will say it again - the AFL were shrewd in their negotiation - thay will get hundreds of millions of dollars of compensation and free stadium upgrades if the bid suceeds. They were not stupid enough to put all their eggs in Frank Lowy's basket
NY
Guest
If there ever was a sport in Australia which rolls the dice more often than others, it would be football (soccer). The Iran game. The Uruguay game. The Italy rd of 16 game. The beginning of the a-league. The current struggle of the a-league. Even reading Johnny Warren's biography there are amazing highs and lows that our sport has suffered. On Friday morning will be another high or low. Don't know which one it will be? But there is something special about the sport in this country. It is not a sport which the whole nation feels represented by, but it creates sporting moments other sports can only dream of. Perhaps the indifference is what makes it so special. People realise that the Socceroos are our team on the world stage even if they can't accept the passion football supporters feel for the game. And us football supporters almost thrive under that us against them mentality. Even in our own country. I somehow love these moments. And Friday morning is no exception. I will feel either very elated or extremely disappointed, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
betamax
Roar Guru
I just noticed Foz on SBS news said Qatar are firming as favourites. It's not looking good folks. Losing the bid would not be the end of the world for me.......however, I have a mental image of Andrew Demetriou and a bunch of AFL suits high-fiving and back-slapping in an office as they read out the(non-australian) winning bid. This, I can't deal with.
mr.jones
Guest
Best?? im sick of aussies and their big ego's that love to be told they are the best, lets just host it and enjoy it, its not all about showing off. however if your obsessed with being the best then start resolving your flaws, close down the AFL and NRL seasons during the world cup and get them out of the way. oh and yes played in the middle of aussie winter, cold wind and rain. its going to be one hell of a summer party! yeah i can see it being the best .pfffft
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Most of those negative comments about Australia seem to come from Australians! How sad.
Betty B
Guest
I tend to agree Luke - it won't be the end of the world if unsuccessful. I believe we could deliver the best world cup - and the world, including FIFA, knows it. It's their loss as much as ours if we're passed in. But fingers crossed anyway.
mahony
Guest
It is interesting that the more "corrupt" this thing is alleged to have been - the better Australia's bid looks. Politics is a funny business.
mahony
Guest
If FIFA is only about the money, how do you explain so many previous World Cup's being in the places they were. Clearly money was not the overidding criterion..... If it were only a handfull of countries would ever host it.
The Special One
Guest
Good article here about World Cup bidding. What are we bid for a World Cup? By Simon Kuper http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/947b1958-f75f-11df-8b42-00144feab49a.html#axzz16dYh7a4b
Luke W
Guest
"The Americans already have the 2022 World Cup locked in. It is fantasyland to suggest otherwise." Bookies have Qatar as short priced favourites, followed by Aus. Honestly, I will be very disappointed if Qatar win the rights. I am all for a Middle Eastern WC, but only if the bid is technically and politically sound. Qatar has just thrown oil money at FIFA execs. For me it should be between Aus and the US, and I really hope we win.
Con Stamocostas
Roar Pro
The first thing I would do is look for who to blame. We will definitely need a scapegoat. The AFL boss Andrew Demetriou and the Fairfax team of investigative journalist that he has on the payroll. Eamonn Duff had another crack on Sunday. A funding brawl indeed............. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/hosting-the-world-cup-comes-with-a-23b-bill-20101127-18bd3.html Then we have the FFA Then we have ourselves. And of course lastly but the most obvious will be FIFA.
JamesP
Guest
You could use those same arguments for USA. Lacks behind popularity of NFL, MLB, NBA and dare I say it the NHL. Soccer is also the number 1 participation sport in the USA and has been for decades. The similarities with Australia are obvious.
Hooplah
Guest
The Americans already have the 2022 World Cup locked in. It is fantasyland to suggest otherwise. They could stage every match in 80k + stadia, that is already built and sell every seat and make more tv money. FIFA is only about the money, they are not interested in anything otherwise. Maybe we will get 2026. The A-League is in serious strife. It will completely knock the local soccer scene on it's backside. This is where they will need to grow some character. We will see if soccer really has it after this set back. Only time will tell.
Rob McLean
Guest
I'd love Australia to get the WC. But I was thinking last night, it won't matter if we don't. At least we'll get to partake in that lottery of the qualifiers, rather than automatically qualify due to being the host nation. Those qualifiers are part of what makes the WC so much fun, tense and joyful. There's nothing like that moment when your country has done all it has to to qualify.
Timmuh
Guest
Realfootball, there is a difference. The NRL $50m guarantees the games in Sydney, the bid $45m is just to prepare a bid to perhaps win the ability to host games. That's not to say the money is wasted, just that any comparison is a waste. The World Cup is, of course, a much greater prize in sporting terms (the biggest, and probably too big for Australia's lack of large cities) - and if won will require much greater spending.