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Yep, it stings. That’s probably the politest way I can sum up my feelings. There’s plenty to discuss about the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar respectively, and I’m sure the fallout will continue in the media for a long time yet.
I’ve heard plenty of whispers over the past days and weeks and have my concerns but with emotions running so high, now is not the time in my opinion and I’m sure with further investigation and detailed analysis we will get the opportunity to.
So, first of all I want to congratulate the people of Russia and Qatar.
A wonderful moment for them and I hope I will have the opportunity to be there in eight and 12 years time.
Back on the home front, while it’s a pity for both Australian football and the nation at large, this is a game changer not a deal breaker.
As I wrote earlier in the week, the vote is “another part of the rich fabric of Australian football’s history”.
Losing out on hosting the 2022 World Cup is not the end for football, remember it took Sydney multiple bids before it won the right to host the 2000 Olympics, but another step along the game’s journey in this country.
Meanwhile the bidding process itself has been a very informative and beneficial opportunity for Australia.
Despite its flaws, the bid was a good thing
To be frank, I wont be getting too caught up in the emotion of the last 24 hours and declaring my unwavering pride for “our bid”.
The fact is there are areas of Football Federation Australia’s bid I’m still concerned with.
From Australia’s consultants, down to a bidding team that many feel was filled with too many non-football people (and lead to the lack of a strong football message in Australia’s final bid presentation) there was room for improvement.
Yet, just bidding for the World Cup has been a good thing.
For the game to get the kind of coverage we’ve seen over the last few days has been priceless, even if at times the quality of the reporting hasn’t been.
We need to further educate the Australian media and public about football
From ABC news declaring that, “Oceania has withdrawn its support for Australia’s bid” on the eve of the vote, to Channel 10’s 7pm Project saying Frank Lowy was from the “Australian Soccer Federation”, some of the reporting of the World Cup bidding process has been abysmal.
It’s another sign of how much more the media’s football knowledge needs to improve.
Of course there’s still plenty for the general population to learn about as well.
The general shock that has emanated across Australia over the last few days as people realised Qatar might be genuinely considered as World Cup hosts, is a sign that we are still learning about FIFA and our place within world football.
For many, the idea of a Qatar win was as difficult to comprehend as the penalty Australia conceded to Italy at the 2006 World Cup.
We must now move on
The sheer enormity of this morning’s decision means it’s ok to spend some time dwelling on this result but before long we must get over it and get back to developing the game in Australia.
There remain huge amounts of work to be done from the grassroots up.
Yet I feel calm and confident as already I can see the gradual change the game requires, happening all around us.
One tiny example is the news that former Socceroo Kimon Taliadoris is running for the Presidency of Football NSW. He’s the exact kind of person the game needs at the administrative level.
Lets face it, if someone like Kimon had of been in charge of Australia’s World Cup bid there would have been more Timmy and less Skippy in our final bid presentation.
The fact the bidding is over is a victory itself
One of the things that struck me both times I visited the US World Cup bid team at MLS House in New York this year was how they were entirely independent from the US Soccer Federation.
FFA didn’t have the luxury of such massive resources to draw upon for their bid campaign and so while attention focused on getting the 2022 World Cup to Australia, numerous matters at home went unattended.
With that distraction having past, Australian football’s governing body can now focus solely on developing the A-League and the game in Australia.
This in itself will provide a massive boost.
So, let me finish by borrowing a recent quote from US comedian John Stewart for it’s as appropriate to Australian football as it is to the American people.
“These are hard times, not end times.”
Please, let’s remember that as we digest this morning’s news because football is here to stay.
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