The winter chill has done nothing to freeze any thoughts of the monumental embarrassment that the England bid went through last week. Between now and then, every person who writes or speaks anything abut football has had his or her opinions spread around the popular media. And after being blasted with so much information myself, I thought about putting my thoughts in words as well.
First off, I am deeply disappointed that England haven't won the World Cup bid. My plans of watching England play (yes they would have because they would qualify automatically) at Wembley are now thwarted. But then, that was expected, although it did give me a shock to see that England received only one vote apart from their own. After being told that their technical bid and the presentation were apparently the best, the bid was won by Russia. Something similar happened with the other bid and the boiling desert of Qatar received the 2022 staging opportunity. So it is basically understood that I may not watch a World Cup match from a stadium till at least 2026. I'll be 42 then.
The English media now blast FIFA for the debacle, as the media normally does. Just as something goes amiss, the media pounces on the opportunity to crucify someone. Be it a manager or a team or the football governing body. They seem to have a beef with almost everyone in the world. But I believe they should have accepted that outcome. After allegations and even a show pointing out the corruption in the FIFA ExCom, they should hardly expect to be handed the bid. It's true that the corruption allegations are massive and should be dealt with, but honestly, do you expect me to be criticized and then expect my sincere thanks and then an award from me? That is just ridiculous. Of course, Sepp Blatt(bb)er did take some kind of action but never thanks the press. Bottom line, the English media did cost the World Cup for England, but that is not the main concern here.
What is important is FIFA's acceptance of multiple bids even when they follow a (unsaid) policy of handing out bids to new areas of the world. If that is what you are set out to do, then why not say only new teams should bid? Why make a country, for example England, spend 15 million pounds on a worthless cause? Another area of concern is the fact that promises were not kept. That proves that football has now become political. We all new it was, but here we have seen that with our own eyes. Blatter's audacity to say that football originated in China and then calling England the motherland of football seems a sarcastic jib at England's bid. We have 24 (22 now because of the suspensions) people in the ExCom unfairly representating 208 football associations. These men are like a dictatorship and Blatter as the dictator. "Sepp Blatter gets what Sepp Blatter wants" was a phrase I heard in many pods and that seems to be true. FIFA's ExCom, filled with crooked and corrupt people (although not proven), has too strong a hold on this game. Tim Vickery, in his blog, said that the idea of hosting the World Cup in new places is both great and problematic and that is very true.
The issues do not stop there. My main concerns was the hosting nations. Fist, Russia. A country with nine timezones. Nine. They sold FIFA on the idea that Eastern Europe never hosted a World Cup. That's what Russia has to offer. But what about infrastructure and stadiums and the lot. Russia has promised free transportation and no visas for match goers. That's really going to work. If reports are to be held true, the the UEFA Champions League final in 2008 was a failure in terms of organizations. Apart from the hospitality of FIFA and UEFA officials, they rest of the lot were faced with problems like packed buses and private jets leaving before commercial airlines. In addition, the rampant racism that exists in the country. How are fans from Africa, or even black fans from so many other countries supposed to travel. One of Russia's minister said in an interview that on every matchday during league season, black residents are advised to stay home and not venture out in fear of hooliganism mixed with racism.
Qatar next. I believe Gatorade should be the official sponsors of the World Cup in Qatar. But dehydration and extreme heat is only one issue. Qatar is so small, how are they going to manage the task of accommodating the hundreds of thousands of fans who are going to travel? Will they build new hotels, putting more stress on the economy? Qatar has promised 12 new stadiums with AC features, which will then be dismantled after the World Cup and moved to someplace else. That sounds like a grand idea. Spend money on so many stadiums just to move them somewhere else? Apart from that, small issues like Qatar not recognizing the State of Israel. What if Israel qualifies for the World Cup? What of by then we have women referees? How are European fans going to sit in that hot stadium and not be allowed to enjoy a beer because it is banned? Has FIFA considered the ramifications of the social restrictions of Qatar? Or were they blinded by the massive amount of green they were piling up in the meantime?
Last, but certainly not the least point. Russia and Qatar, oil rich countries. Rich, the important word here. Allegations are surfacing that a few ExCom members did receive kickbacks for these countries. Far-fetched? I don't think so. It is clear that the best bids haven't won, namely England, the US or Australia. Under the seemingly false pretense of taking the World Cup to places it has never been before, money may have talked. South Africa were loaned a huge amount of money just to get ready for the World Cup. Brazil are still way behind in their preparations and it is now going to cost the locals and then the spectators. Why put financial stress on a developing country that has more pressing matters to spend on. Russia and Qatar may have money, but will people travel that far?
It was a particularly long rant, but from so much I have heard in the past few days, there is still so much more on my mind. I shall watch the World Cup come 2018 and 2022, that I am sure of. But I shall be in the comfort of my own home, on a couch, with a beer in hand.
