Whatever happens at tonight’s FIFA World Cup vote, a lot of credit must go to FFA chairman Frank Lowy and his team. We shouldn’t forget Australia is a small fish in a big pond, and Lowy and company have given us every chance of succeeding in winning 2022 hosting rights with a well-orchestrated bid campaign.
In fact, barely a decade ago, such a bid from Australia would have been completely audacious given the game’s issues with internal politics back then.
We shouldn’t forget the game has come a long way in a short period of time. But we shouldn’t cease being ambitious just for that fact.
In my opinion, Australia has given itself its best chance of winning hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. That’s not to say the bid campaign hasn’t had its problems.
It has.
There were the ground-sharing issues with the other sporting codes, particularly the AFL, which caused a fuss, before the Memorandum of Understanding was signed in May this year.
There was also the report from The Age which challenged the conduct of the bid due to the way taxpayer funds where being used, which the FFA denied before launching a defamation action on the newspaper.
These issues, though, had been essentially out of the FFA’s control when they emerged, but the code’s governing body worked well to deal with them in both instances.
Full credit to them for that, but some have argued the FFA’s pre-occupation with the World Cup bid and dealing with events like this has affected the way they’ve run the A-League which, in my opinion, has plenty of truth to it and is one criticism which can be aimed at Lowy’s team.
Moving on though, the whole 2022 World Cup bid race has been an interesting campaign with the issues of bribery, corruption and collusion, but Lowy and co have wisely steered clear of these issues and not got involved pointing fingers.
As a result the Australia bid appears to have been fairly well received, with a lot of goodwill. Australia, after all, isn’t a country which many people bear grudges against.
Whether or not that’s enough to win Australia the right to host the 2022 World Cup is a separate question. Australia will rely on its key selling points – it’s a safe option and has a good record with big events – to do that.
Unfortunately our key selling points are matched by rival bids, with the US appearing to trump us in those departments and then bettered by the fact the 1994 World Cup was the most successful tournament in terms of revenue ever.
In some ways, circumstances have harmed Australia’s hopes, especially being up against the US bid.
There’s also the fact there are three bids from the Asian confederation battling it out for 2022, meaning votes within the AFC will not be guaranteed for Australia. Far from it and we may not even get past the first round of voting, which would be an anti-climax.
The corruption scandal which has left Oceania chief Reynald Temarii without a vote – likely to go to Australia – hasn’t helped either.
But rather than focusing on things beyond Australia’s control, the point I want to make is it has been pleasing and encouraging to observe the way Lowy’s team have run our bid campaign.
It’s been fairly smooth, professional, well-mannered and well-organised. In the long run, even if Australia don’t succeed in the bid, it has put us on the map in the big pond that is the football world, and generated alot of goodwill for our cause.
We shouldn’t forget in the modern era rarely do nations win World Cup hosting rights at their first attempts (Japan/Korea 2002 is an exception) but some of those who have missed out have gone onto host World Cups down the track (US missed out in 1986 before winning 1994, and South Africa missed out in 2006 before winning 2010).
Whether or not Australia will be in a position to bid for another World Cup in the not too distant future – should we miss out for 2022 – is hard to know but Lowy and his team’s well-run bid campaign has set the standard and put us on the map and that’s very pleasing considering where we were barely a decade ago.
But for now, let’s hope we won’t need to worry about our next World Cup bid for a while just yet.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Sorry - I don't buy it. The lead up to the decision, over the past year, has been pretty subdued. Neither party mentioned it once in this year's election campaign - if Australiians truly cared, it would have been front and centre. Two mid week games drew a combined attendance of less than 6,000. It was as if those two games were ushering in the brave new world of Australian soccer post the WC decision.
OneJayBee
Roar Rookie
FIUL Agree re quality of ALeague this year. For various reasons I haven't been to as many games as previous years, but still catch it on the box. Now that world cup circus is over perhaps it's time to start a new thread on the ALeague and how to grow it and the game here. First instalment - I'm still confused about the introduction of midweek games - initially I thought it was for postponed games but now it seems to be a fixture in it's own right - I think the punters have voted with their feet on this one... Onwards and upwards!!
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
andrew g To be honest, now that it's all over I'm probably not going to engage in lengthy discussions with non-football types, unless they're willing to discuss with an open mind and do a bit of research. Football in Australia is at an all-time high and if you think it is not then you haven't done your basic research. There is ONE - and, only ONE - issue that needs to be addressed and that is getting football fans to come to watch the A-League. The A-League football quality is fantastic - I can't wait for tonight's match MVFC v Brisbane - the National Teams (senior men, senior women, junior men) are all performing outstandingly and we have 3 FIFA WC tournaments and an Asian Cup in 2011; some of Australia's most astute and wealthy businessmen understand the power of the Game and willingly open their bank accounts to football. If that's what you consider "a game in crisis" ... give me more crisis! But, yes, A-League crowds are down. We just need to find ways to get our football family members involved with the A-League. Apart from that, in 2010, Football in Australia is just about perfect and, those who say it is not, don't know the history of football in Australia.
OneJayBee
Roar Rookie
JamesL - well said. unfortunately it's all over now but like you I follow all football codes and would have loved to see the world cup here (the junior ones we've hosted have been great, as of course was RWC2003.) Some of these posters need to chill out and smell the roses... I played both football and rugby this year and enjoy both... well done again
andrew g
Guest
A quick question, what now? We clearly got thrashed, wasted a whole lot of tax payer money when we had no chance. A league number are disastrous and going backwards. Again I ask you Fussball ist unser leben, what now. How is the game going to grow in this country? It is time for the FFA to get there heads out of the sky and properly run football in this country before it is too late.
RedOrDead
Guest
You'd be surprised MLF - here I am chatting to manager who's comment "I have zero care factor about soccer" was followed by "But I'm bloody gutted we didn't get it"... So you may not be a football fan or be a die-hard AFL fan, but every Australian was affected by this morning's decision!
RedOrDead
Guest
This guy Seiran posted a comment on here congratulating Qatar like 15 minutes before the announcement was made on LIVE television! He must've been watching Al Jazeera TV...that's how dodgy this whole voting sham was!! 2:27 AM Author: Seiran Comment: Qatar win Well done to Qatar
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
Get yourselves together people - it's no big deal - it really, really doesn't matter to the majority of Australians.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
How are we to come out of the dark ages? By following the worthy example set by Qatar?
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
A Professor of AFL? That sounds quite amusing this morning.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Unfortunately Tourism Australia have apparently continued their run of outs. Even Marcus North couldn't survive this many failures...
Whites
Guest
Expect the worst.
NF
Guest
I'm honestly gutted and shocked that Australia missed out as I mentioned before I'm only a casual football fan at best but I realise the benefits that the World Cup would of done to Australia it had the best potential out of all the bids to make a everlasting legacy. Congrats to Russia & Qatar.
Millster
Guest
I have to say, the comments of Kevin and Chris are highly unfortunate and provocative at a moment of hurt and loss for many football fans - and general sport-loving fans around Australia who know how proudly we would have hosted this event and what it would have brought to our nation. If 'real Australia' is this kind of backward bigoted 'protectionism' and kicking your fellow countrymen while they are down then thats not the kind of values that I sign up to. By the way I thought long and hard about reporting those comments, but I think it better that they stand as a demonstration of the ugly and revulsive side of this debate. Better they be rejected through discussion than just hidden.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Well ... what can I say. I'm totally gutted! But, as a football fan you understand these extremes of emotion - from the euphoric high when Johnny scored that penalty in 05; to the utter devastation when Grosso fell over in Kaiserslautern 2006 - are why our Game captures the hearts and minds of people across all cultures, ethnicities, religions and socio-economic backgrounds. So, as Sepp Blatter said: "football teaches us to win; and, much more importantly, it teaches us to lose". Today, I'm on the losing side and, as much as it hurts, I have to show grace and dignity and say CONGRATULATIONS to Russia & Qatar and I look forward to visiting your countries in 2018 & 2022.
Marc
Guest
Tortion
Guest
Problem is Fussball that Australians really don't care about the Asian Cup. WC is a different story of course. Doesn't work like the EC as we have no cultural connection with 'Asia'.
Millster
Guest
Hi Middie I'm trying not to even think about that. The decision is now made and I now have only 2 wishes 1. that Brazil, Russia and Qatar host awesome world cups 2. that the Socceroos do us proud at those, and show the evolution of Australian football in the 12 years between now and then It hurts like hell right now but we will regroup and focus should be on the good of the game in Australia, and in the world.
TCunbeliever
Roar Guru
Australian Association Football - those stats aren't actually meaningful. It has such high participation rates because most Aussie kids are encouraged to play it at some point whether they like it or not, because it's so easy to get into. And a lot of people aged 17+ also play it because it's the easiest thing in the world to get a bunch of people together and kick the ball around. It says nothing about whether people are actually interested or passionate about the game though.
Midfielder
Guest
Gidday Milly ... quite a surprise ... TBH through and still do this bid was a joke from a tiny nation like Qatar... has something of a smell to it...