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I'm so glad Australia lost the 2022 World Cup bid

4th September, 2014
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4th September, 2014
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As many regular readers on The Roar would already know, there is a writer who gives views on the funnier side of world sport. His or her (I’m actually not to sure to be honest) online username is Kazblah.

For anyone who doesn’t know who I’m talking about, I highly recommend reading some of Kazblah’s work.

Although this isn’t the sort of introduction you would expect due to the article’s title, I will tell you why I’ve started off in such a way.

About a week ago, Kazblah shared a link that made its way onto my Facebook wall called “Just Six Months After the Olympics, Sochi Looks Like a Ghost Town”.

This then eventually led me onto the 2004 Athens Olympics. My fond memories from when I was a five-year-old watching every event on the TV were crushed. The site that only 10 years ago was the center of the world’s attention is now in complete ruins.

Greece spent an estimated nine billion euros – that’s around $12.7 billion – on the Olympics. And for what? Yeah sure it was a heck of a spectacle and for two weeks everyone was indulging in the historic Greek culture, but was it really worth all that money?

Of course not.

Last year it was said that Greece now has a public debt of 309.4 billion euros and the way it seems to be going, it won’t be disappearing in a hurry.

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So know I turn my focus onto the reason why you clicked on this article. Football. We all remember that early morning when Sepp Blatter announced that the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be held in Qatar. We were outraged; we told ourselves that it was ours to lose. We counted down the days until the announcement. We got up and watched the announcement all around Australia.

At the time, I just couldn’t contemplate the idea that we lost. I was devastated at the fact I wouldn’t be able to see a World Cup match in Perth.

But four years later the pain has eased. I’m not angry at the potential briberies that may have made Australia miss out. No, in fact words can’t describe how glad I am that we lost the bid.

Australia was planning on hosting the matches in 12 different venues. Three of those that were proposed currently don’t exist. Five of the 12 stadiums would need major upgrades that would cost millions of dollars.

Now, you might say that it would be a great step towards increasing football’s popularity in Australia. Yes, it would certainly garner a lot of interest and more bandwagon supporters (not that we need anymore).

And how great would it have been to see a new huge stadium in Perth packed to watch Sydney FC taking on the Glory?

However with crowd attendances still a problem in the A-League that is far from reality. So instead of the hype of energy in the stands, what you would probably see is a depressing three-quarters-empty stadium.

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I love my sport. I really do, but we have to look at the long term future of Australia. We aren’t exactly in the greatest financial state as it is and a World Cup wouldn’t exactly be the smartest thing.

So instead of spending billions of dollars on a tournament that lasts about a month, why don’t we really try and grow grassroots football in the community.

Also, try and get more people following their local club. Teams like Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix struggle with crowd attendances and could really do with a boost.

There have also been rumors that Qatar could be stripped of the FIFA World Cup and Australia might become hosts. If this is the case, my message is simple. We simply don’t need it.

To some, this article might come across as depressing, but it isn’t. Instead, we should be relieved that we didn’t win the bid.

Australia not hosting the World Cup is a blessing in disguise.

Follow Lachlan on Twitter @Lachy7Doyle

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