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Attending the live coverage of the announcement from the relative comfort of being in the company of a few hundred people at Federation Square in the wee hours of the morning, I was distraught when Qatar’s name was read out for 2022.
In the following minutes in the company of family and friends, the talk inevitably turned to just how Qatar got the gig.
Reading various articles that have gone viral since the announcement, many of them have accused the bid as being flawed and Australians being ‘sore losers’.
Personally, this strikes me as absolutely untrue and insulting.
Australians, football fans or not believe in the fundamental mantras of fairness and equality. Just how is anyone supposed to logically explain how Qatar won the right to host the bid.
I, and Australians, are not sore losers and would have happily lost to the USA. To see us lose to Qatar and in this fashion will unfortunately undo a great deal of wonderful strives forward to game has made.
Being a Victorian, I also quake for the negative media driven by journalists with ulterior motives looking to suck up to AFL powerbrokers. No doubt I can expect to see Caroline Wilson say that the AFL always distanced themselves with the WC bid with good reason, as the bidding process is corrupt, and so on.
I am in no way suggesting that the AFL had a hand in not getting the World Cup to Australia, as the Executive Committee would not pay attention to an uproar made by a provincial sport which is truly prominent in one state in this country.
But where to now?
Football in Australia must take the heat of the bad press that will inevitably come, unwarranted as it may be.
It must step back and check itself and develop a strategic plan to strengthen itself. Football can, and will, be stronger for this, and even though the true colours of FIFA were shown overnight, Australians can sleep at night knowing our bid was run in a morally correct fashion, which technically ticked the boxes and was to leave a great legacy for all sports in Australia, truly reflecting the inclusive and accepting nature of the people of our great land.
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