We already know Australia’s bid to host the football World Cup cost taxpayers more than $45 million. But in the wake of stunning corruption allegations made against FIFA presidential challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam this week, did the bid cost us more than just cash?
At the start of the week, Fairfax investigative journalists Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie revealed the federal government was not informed by Football Federation Australia of their decision to hire Peter Hargitay and Fedor Radmann as consultants.
Hargitay elicits nine separate references in “Foul,” Andrew Jennings’ lengthy 2006 exposé on FIFA corruption, and the UK-based journalist made an appearance on the ABC’s Lateline during the week in which he slammed the FFA’s handling of the bid.
“You got conned out of lots of money and now you’re still running this crap that somehow Australia nearly got it,” Jennings said of a multi-million dollar campaign which yielded just one vote.
The outspoken journalist alleged that Hargitay told FFA chief executive Ben Buckley to sack former head of corporate and public affairs Bonita Mersiades because she expressed reservations to FFA chairman Frank Lowy about Hargitay and Radmann’s involvement.
It’s an allegation backed up by Baker and McKenzie, who wrote that Mersiades “expressed disquiet about the consultants in emails to the government.”
Despite signing a confidentiality agreement upon her dismissal, Mersiades emailed a former colleague during the week to confirm Buckley told her she was sacked because of pressure from Hargitay – an allegation the FFA later said was “unsubstantiated.”
Whatever the machinations of the dismissal – the explicit details of which are between Mersiades and the FFA – the end result is that Australia has lost a well respected, passionate advocate of football.
And with the A-League in particular struggling to maintain traction in the crowded Australian sports market, surely administrators of Mersiades’ calibre are something the FFA can ill afford to lose.
There’s some irony in the fact such dissent was revealed in the same week Ben Buckley faced the music from angry supporters at Sydney’s fan forum.
Buckley should be applauded for fronting at a time of growing fan anger, even if some of his responses sounded more like Orwellian doublespeak than the thoughts of a man in tune with his audience.
He of course has a new head of communications in Kyle Patterson to fall back on should the message ever got lost, with Patterson’s appointment widely applauded following an 18-year career as a broadcaster with SBS.
But Patterson’s new brief is to control the information coming from FFA headquarters, and as we’ve seen with the axing of Mersiades, the game’s governing body doesn’t take too kindly to those not singing from the same hymn sheet.
So don’t expect someone like Andrew Jennings to go knocking on the FFA’s door for a friendly chat, because I’m sure they’d get short shrift from experienced media man Patterson and his colleagues.
And Australian fans will remain none the wiser about what really went on behind the closed doors of our failed bid, despite the fact Hargitay and Radmann were “paid millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money,” according to Baker and McKenzie.
So how much did Australia’s failed World Cup bid really cost us?
It cost taxpayers plenty of cash at a time when A-League clubs are struggling desperately for revenue, even if the costs of such bids invariably run into the millions.
It cost the FFA a well connected, highly respected administrator in Bonita Mersiades – a woman who at one stage was the Socceroos’ team manager and who has a long association with the game.
And if the FFA tries to close ranks on journalists asking questions about how the bid was funded and how much consultants were paid, ultimately it could cost Australian football its integrity.
Matt Beks
Guest
What's the chance of getting the money back??
Evan Askew
Guest
That guy is actuall taking the piss. He is an actor who campaigned for Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry and rather than doing the same old Republicans are stupid jokes, he created Billy Bobneck. He is brilliant isn't he? I must admit I was fooled and thought he was serious until I googled him.
sydneyMan
Guest
The purpose of bidding for a World cup is for the financial benefit of the country. Unlike the Olympics the world cup is a genuinely lucrative sporting event to attract to this country because it would primarily use existing infrasturcture and attract more tourists than the Olympics, unlike the Olympics where they had to pay for 10,000 athletes and god knows how many relatives to come over there. I would prefer the Masters games where people essentially pay to attend,pay their own expenses, and get a medal than the Olympics, and let us not speak of the Commonwealth games where I doubt you will get a single busload of genuine tourists from overseas to attend. For the Olympics the Australian media were not only unified behind the bid, hid any corruption, but they were also rabidly biased in attacking any rival bidders. Not only was there no investigation into the corruption before the bids were decided , there was no reports afterward until well after the event not to taint any proceedings. The failed bids previous to that racked up expenses similiar to the failed world cup bid and no mention was made of those. The other thing was there was no level of recriminations after two failed bids. The only thing you can conclude is that there is vast difference between how a world cup bid here is treated by the media versus the jingoistic madness and propaganda surrounding the support for the Olympic games and the Commonwealth games.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Excellent suggestions, asanchez.
asanchez
Roar Guru
The world cup bid did cost us in a number of ways; - FFA had to take their eyes off the A-league for a couple of years, and although it was a farce in the end and we only ended up with 1 vote, FFA had to give it a crack, and devote most of their time and money into the bid. - the A-league obviously suffered because of this, while the crowds have dropped off in the last few years, during the bid period, the FFA clearly lacked a vision or strategy for the league, and marketing/promotion of the league was non-existent. - it gave the knockers and haters ammunition, including most of the media to cry foul, and use the excuse of the $46m of Government money spent, to sink the boots into the whole code once again. - it meant key decision-makers Frank Lowy and Ben Buckley have spent large periods of time overseas in the last 2-3 years, and not here at home to look after our domestic competition. As everyone should know by now, the $46m from the Government was granted for the bid, and wouldn't have been afforded to Football if there was no bid. Obviously the Government saw the benefits of having the whole world focus on Australia for a month if we got it. We all know the result, not much we can do about it now. There was more than 5 bidders, only 1 could have won. $46m is a drop in the ocean when you look at costs of other events. The Formula 1 GP in Melbourne for example, loses up to $50m a year out of Victorian Taxpayers, but yet the government persists with it. And this is an annual event! The FFA should have set up an A-league commission, so they could focus on international matters and have a separate team for the continuing improvement of the A-league. These are lessons that head office should learn, and not drop their eyes off the local competition again.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
"I would rather watch the grass grow" Commo---what a poor comment, but if that's what turns you on go for it.. (Tristan take note please I have voted it down)
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Commo I've found that people who complain that something is "boring" are those who are too ignorant to understand the subject being viewed. For example, at school the kids, who complain that "school is boring", will be the kids who are illiterate or semi-literate. So, when I hear someone say Football is boring I smile and realise I'm dealing with a football illiterate. I guess it's best for each person to stick to entertainment that is within his/her cerebral capacity.
Bondy
Guest
Commo . I'll stake my financial net worth that i can irrifutably prove that my ancestry were here before yours. Football is the game the world plays, Football is modern Australia. Where now playing football in Asia. And your trying to sell Aussie Rules and Majak Daw to Sudan and Africa give me a break , your trying to pioneer Aussie Rules into the third world. Think about it.
Johnno
Guest
Well this is the thing Bondy things evolve soccer is the world game, and the majority and who are these so called australians who these immigrant soccer people have to respect. Are they just white anglo saxon people, it makes no sense. and football is called rugby league and rugby union, and the true name for soccer is association football, so soccer people have every right to say football, just like these so called aussie people do say rleague or run-on, and anglo saxon culture(and i am anglo saxon true blue aussie by the way) don't call the shots in this country it is multicultural all religions races sports, foods, welcome it is a democracy. and as for anglo saxons and football more junior aussies are playing football(soccer) over other footballs . just coz rlleague AFL AND RUNION was Bigger before doesn't give them the right to own it especially as soccer is the world game . Turn it up AFL rleague runion boofheads talk about selfishness slef promotion and 1 eyed agendas, get back in your caves you unworldly uncultured insular afl league runion fans.
Commo
Guest
Bondy, I appreciate that euro football (soccer) is a fun game to play because It is easy. A three year old and a 70 year old can both kick a ball off the ground. I am all for multiculturalism, but if you soccer people move to this country, you should respect the culture. Imagine telling the Americans that soccer people are treated unfairly or they could not call the NFL football. They would shoot you. Are Australians all that different?
Bondy
Guest
Commo " appropriate". Football is one of the highest participated "Organised" sports in this nation,there is a category called yes you guessed it Non Organised that includes walking, you want us not to be a footballing nation where ranked 20th in the world at Football, have you ever thought how bad those other 190 odd nations must be at football then ?. Personally i dont see that amout of money spent on the world cup bid excessive when you look at some of the other handouts State and Federal Governments give to other sports. Commo - click the link. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/afl-in-45-million-money-grab-for-stadium/story-e6frexnr-1225802792238?matchid=NRL20110401 .
jamesb
Guest
problem is Commo, the reason why you find soccer so boring is because you know nothing about the sport ''Like most Australians, I would rather watch the grass grow. Far more exciting'' your probably right. is it any wonder with that attitude why the socceroos ain't a powerhouse in soccer.
Commo
Guest
For a country that has no interest in soccer it cost us a fortune. We should never have bothered with trying to host the world cup of the most boring spectator sport there is. Only Euro's that don't have any competition would follow such a boring game. Like most Australians, I would rather watch the grass grow. Far more exciting.
Bondy
Guest
Swampy . You suggest the A.F.L. is cheif tennant of these stadia from March to September, there is virtually no other sport / product who use these facilities from March to September, you allegedely control something that nobody else use's at a certain time of the year "thats power" . You suggest the A.F.L. is in such a great bargaining position for these stadia , didn't look like it to me 10 months ago. What i would strongly suggest is for you to concentrate on your summer sport Cricket where is that at the moment thriving, i bet you can't wait for the next five match test series with the West Indies riverting.
Fake ex-AFL fan
Guest
Baker & McKenzie are the Fairfax journos who've been running with the story for the past few months. Do keep up boys.
Axelv
Guest
I'm pretty sure having a contract to use a stadium is the same as owning it. E.g Jon Bon Jovi owns the Docklands.
Onlooker
Guest
with drop in pitches, probably 'yes' is the answer, however, while the MFC is a 2nd class citizen at the cricket club run venue, and while the MCC members get premium access to AFL including Grand Final, then, the answer remains a 'no'.
Axelv
Guest
lol, Fake ex-AFL Fan using his tin foil hat, no doubt!
jeznez
Guest
should we rename it the MFG?
jeznez
Guest
Midfielder, up the top right you will see a little button saying submit an article - go for your life mate.