Australia's bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup

[midfielder]

Ring endorsement from Beckenbauer

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/world-cup-bid/franz-beckenbauer-backs-australias-bid-to-host-2022-fifa-world-cup-says-socceroos-set-to-make-splash-on-world-soccer-stage/story-fn3g9e47-1225943732217


Franz Beckenbauer backs Australia's FIFA World Cup bid, says Socceroos to make soccer splash


Franz Beckenbauer was nicknamed "Der Kaiser" (the Emperor) for his prodigious skill on the park. But it is in his new role as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee that should most interest the Australian football fan.

Franz Beckenbauer - the coach, manager, and former player - will vote to decide which bidding nation will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals, and he told Fox Sports FC in an exclusive interview that Australia's bid wasn't lacking support.

"Australia was a perfect host for the Olympics," Beckenbauer said.

"They know how to handle these big events.

"The football World Cup - it’s even bigger than the Olympics because it’s more cities, it’s more spectacular than the Olympics - I think you can do it.

"Australia has shown the world many, many times that (they) can handle these big events.

"There is no doubt that Australia can host the World Cup and organise the World Cup."

Beckenbauer will cast just one of the 24 votes that FIFA will collate to decide the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and Australia is up against high-profile competition.

"It’s not an easy competition: it's United States, Australia, Japan, Korea, and Qatar, Beckenbauer said.

"It's a tough competition, but Australia, I think, has a good chance to host the World Cup.

"I hope so.

Beckenbauer noted that Australia's bid to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup was unaffected by the controversial reports of a vote-selling scandal.

"I think the Australian bidding process is in a very good way."

Far from showing only a fleeting interest in Australia, it was Beckenbauer who told Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy that Holger Osieck should be appointed Socceroos coach.

Osieck coached Canada between 1999 and 2003, completed a stint with Urawa Red Diamonds in the J-League, and was recently a part of the FIFA technical team.

The most alluring post on his resume, however, is that he was Beckanbauer’s assistant coach when Der Kaiser led the national team to 1990 World Cup victory.

And Beckenbauer hasn’t forgotten his running mate.

"In 1990, (Germany) were ready to win the World Cup - which we did," Beckenbauer said.

"And one of the key men on my side was Holger Osieck , of course.

"He was not my assistant; he was my partner.

"I like him; as, a man he is gentle.

"He is really an excellent person, and his knowledge about the game - about football - is fantastic.

"I think it's an excellent choice from the Football Federation of Australia to hire him as head coach."

Recently departed Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek lacked a groundswell of support - his defensive structure not favouring the entertaining football Australian fans were craving - but Beckenbauer insists Osieck will add something more to Australia's football culture.

"Trust him," Beckenbauer said of Osieck.

"He’s an experienced man. Maybe he’s not like (Sir Alex) Ferguson or (Guus) Hiddink, maybe he’s not the most well-known person in the world, but he’s a hard worker, he’s a decent man, he’s an open man, and he’s excellent for the team.

"He likes to deal with the players.

"He’s excellent. He’s an expert."

And just as Osieck has shown his support for the level of football in the A-League, so, too, does Beckenbauer recognise that Australia's soccer is improving.

"The first time I played against the Australian national team, it was 1978 or 1979 with the New York Cosmos and we played in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney," Beckenbauer said.

"At this time, there was not really a good quality.

"But now (Australia) can compete with every team in the world.

"The standard now of Australian football is much, much better than some decades ago.

"You have a strong team.

"Believe in your team, believe in your coach.

"There will be a couple more surprise results in the future."

 

[Forum Phoenix]

I think our football has vastly improved. As evidenced by the under 21s and teh Matlidas.

But we aint seen NOTHING yet.

In ten years we will be finally producing enough players of a high enough calibre to rival most countries in the world.

Lets hope there's a world cup them at home to play in and win

 

[midfielder]

Go Ben go ...

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/buckleys-big-picture-for-world-cup-bid-20101027-173vn.html



Buckley's big picture for World Cup bid
Dan Silkstone
October 28, 2010
ZURICH: Australia will play to FIFA's evangelical streak in the lead-up to the World Cup vote on December 2 after Ben Buckley yesterday urged the men who will decide Australia's fate to ''complete the picture'' by sending the World Cup to the only continent that has never hosted it.

Australia's pitch intensified on a day when a spat broke out between England and Russia as the English bid team requested FIFA investigate reported insults directed at London by Russian bid chief Alexei Sorokin, who claimed to have been misinterpreted when he said England's capital was a crime centre with a serious drinking problem.

Sorokin yesterday attacked British media for running a deliberate negative campaign against Russia's bid, saying Russia was not being treated fairly by its chief competitor for 2018. He remained adamant he did not need to apologise.


Buckley's speech at the International Football Arena conference contained some claims likely to raise hackles at AFL and NRL headquarters but which are designed to play to FIFA's expansionist aims.

''We live in a competitive landscape in Australia. We know we compete with other codes,'' Buckley said. ''This is a great opportunity for football to dominate the landscape over the next 12 years.''

Wednesday was a key lobbying day in Zurich with all members of FIFA's Executive Committee in town before a two-day meeting at which they will discuss the past fortnight's scandals but also finalise the voting process to award the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Suggestions that the 2022 vote could be delayed in order to reduce the risk of corrupt vote swapping would be a setback for Australia but it is thought to be unlikely.

Earlier, Buckley used his address to the conference to tackle some of the Australian bid's perceived weaknesses. He said that by 2022, 75 per cent of the world's population would live within Australia's region, aiming to counter persistent suggestions that Australia was simply too far away to host the event.

''Distance is ultimately relative and if the majority of the world lives in our neighbourhood, I'm sure they won't see the plane trip as particularly long,'' he said.

The other perceived negative for Australia is the importance of European and North American television rights money for FIFA and the trouble caused to powerful broadcasters by Australia's time zone.

''That may be the status quo today but we are talking about 10 or 12 years hence,'' Buckley said. ''All of the economic indicators see Asia as being the future for commercial growth. The amount of eyeballs that will be available for football in Asia in 2022 is astronomical.''

The FFA chief tackled the distance question head on, saying he had just arrived from Australia and describing the flight as ''a relaxing and enjoyable 18 hours.'' Maybe he flew first class. Zurich may be soccer's global home but it is not reached directly from Australia. The Herald flew for closer to 30 hours, stopping in Dubai, and would use other words to describe the extended experience in economy class.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Yeah good work Ben. And not just spin - all very true.

 

[midfielder]

Source: Sunday Telegraph, The (Sydney) ; 10/24/2010, p107-107, 1

Game of woggabaliri, anyone

AUSTRALIA'S World Cup bid book features a bold claim that soccer is the national game with a history stretching back thousands of years.

The Sunday Telegraph has learned that Football Federation Australia's World Cup bid book for the 2022 event features references to an indigenous game called woggabaliri.

In a claim that is sure to annoy its rivals at the AFL, which often refers to the Aboriginal game of marn grook, FFA says the sport of woggabaliri proves soccer is indeed an Australian game.
Recognised by the Australian Sports Commission, woggabaliri is described as a "co-operative kicking volley game to see how many times the ball can be kept in the air before contacting the ground''.

Similar to the UK playground game of "keepie uppie'', it featured a ball made of possum fur and was mainly played around the Bogan and Lachlan River areas of NSW.

The name of the sport was taken from the Wiradyura language word for play.

One of the first references to the non-competitive Aboriginal ball game is an 1857 etching now housed at the Haddon Library at Cambridge University. It depicts a group of Aboriginal children kicking a ball.

2007 link http://www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/assets/pub...s_august07.pdf

Woggabaliri is on page 15. Woggabaliri is among 6 traditional played in at the world masters last year and chosen by the Aboriginal people to represent their past and show their cultural to the world … this was published by the NSW Department of Sport and Rec…

So the Australian Sports Commission … and the NSW Dept of Sport & Rec… how will hidden has this been and only comes out in our WC presentation…


great link..

Traditional Aboriginal games & activities scroll down until you come to woggabaliri

http://www.creativespirits.info/abor...nal-games.html


And Midfielder SCREAMS aloud from woggabaliri we got wogball and now its called FOOTBALL….

Woggabaliri ... to bring us the WC...

 

[midfielder]

WC decision may be delayed..

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/decision-on-2022-hosting-rights-may-be-postponed-20101028-175tz.html

Decision on 2022 hosting rights may be postponed
Dan Silkstone
October 29, 2010

ZURICH: Australia's World Cup bid team was bracing for a letdown last night as FIFA met to consider whether to delay awarding the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.

The Herald understands a proposal to separate voting for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments has gathered serious momentum and was to be presented to FIFA's executive committee – minus the two members suspended for alleged corruption.

Australia has placed much of its efforts into finishing the lengthy campaign strongly. The committee has prepared a star-studded video and organised for Prime Minister Julia Gillard and other celebrities to fly in for the final address before the scheduled vote in the genuine belief that a final concerted push can still capture undecided votes. Others – including the United States, Japan and Qatar – have made similarly elaborate plans.

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FIFA's decision to award hosting rights for both tournaments simultaneously has been widely criticised as setting up a system that encourages the illicit practice of vote swapping between European candidates competing for 2018 and those – including Australia – gunning for 2022. But while that criticism may have some merit, separating the two decisions now – at such a late stage – would be highly irregular and would cause tremendous difficulty for bidding nations and their plans.

Delaying the decision – most likely by a month but possibly longer – would cause logistical headaches for Australia's government-funded bid. Many staff and all consultants have been contracted and will be paid only up to the December 2 vote, an end point that has long been regarded as final. It is believed, though, that the bid budget could handle such an extension. Australia is not behind the push to delay the vote – that appears to be coming from an England bid terrified that the rumoured deal between Spain/Portugal and Qatar has boxed out chances of an English victory. Australia's bid could, however, shape as a beneficiary.

FIFA's ethics committee is already investigating the Qatar and Spain/Portugal bids over claims of collusion after Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed Bin Hammam admitted to a London conference last month that he would vote for anyone to host the 2018 tournament who could ensure Qatar won for 2022.

Depending on allegiances, some see the investigation as the necessary restoration of due process and the reeling in of corruption while others view it as a politically motivated attempt by FIFA president Sepp Blatter to hurt Bin Hammam – a man touted as a future rival.

While the consequences of a delay are regarded as uncertain and unstable, Australia stands to benefit if the two votes are split. Divorcing the processes would mean Qatar loses the support of South American votes, which line up behind the Spain/Portugal bid with the expectation of reciprocal support from a smaller Qatari-assembled voting block. Qatar has aggressively courted South American votes, including those of influential Argentine Julio Grondona and Brazilian Ricardo Teixeira. Brazil and Argentina will even play a glamour friendly in Doha next month, an event jointly designed to show off Qatar's hosting capabilities close to the vote and line South American pockets with appearance fees.

The decision would go some way towards torpedoing the emirate's chances of victory, leaving the United States and Australia as the sole realistic chances to host in 2022.

Australia yesterday set up its stall, along with others, in the lobby restaurant of Baur au Lac – the luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Zurich that was recently voted the best in Europe and, with its backdrop of the snow-capped Swiss alps is among the world's most expensive. In a clubby room, hung with old master paintings, access to football's elite decision makers was informal but first-class and sandwiches were competitively priced at $40. Set up in a corner, drinking coffee and speaking quickly in Hungarian were FFA chairman Frank Lowy and influential lobbyist Peter Hargitay. Bid chief Ben Buckley later joined them for a conference.

Several executive committee members came and went throughout the day – including Paraguyan Nicolas Leoz and Cypriot Marios Lefkaritis – as did Blatter himself.

Lowy – who served on the high-ranking World Cup Organising Committee with 16 of the 24 executive committee members – was one of the room's more dominant personalities, shaking hands and moving effortlessly between small groups of powerbrokers from world football's different confederations.

Whatever Australia's preference – and the officials were not saying yesterday – you can bet he made his case to all who matter.

 

[dibo]

Woggabaliri?

Wogball?

 

[midfielder]

Woggabaliri?

Wogball?

YA when I first started reading the name I tho it was a piss take... but no it is real.... just look at the links... and has been presented by FFA as such in their WC bid...page 14 & 15 for the NSW Dept of Sport & Rec

Australian Sports Commission

NSW Dept of Sport & Rec

Traditional Aboriginal games

Wikipedia


Suppose to be a drawing of the game being played---- you can see the game in the lower middle part with what appears to be boys kicking a round ball ..

 

[Matt--Simon]

WIth the US having already had the cup inside the last twenty years - hard to feel we are not the perfect choice for the 2022 cup.

Japan have also had it in the last 20 years they had it in 2002

 

[ryan]

Japan have also had it in the last 20 years they had it in 2002

As co-hosts with South Korea. So going by the logic of taking the World Cup to new frontiers and the supposed problems with the inspection teams visit to Qatar I would think we should be the favourites.

 

[dibo]

By 2022 it will have been 28 years since 1994 and 20 since 2002. Japorea is probably a bit close but USA is no prob.

 

[midfielder]

and 40, 000 years since Australia had it...

 

[midfielder]

Not to sure this is not a scare article..

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/public-to-kick-in-1b-for-world-cup-trimmings-20101101-17ais.html

Public to kick in $1b for World Cup trimmings
Mark Davis NATIONAL EDITOR
November 2, 2010
TAXPAYERS face a $1 billion bill for beefed-up security, public transport, customs and immigration services if Australia hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The federal and state governments have promised the Football Federation of Australia they will pay a substantial share of the costs of staging the tournament if the bid is successful.

No cost estimates have been made public, but the Herald has been told government undertakings are about $1 billion.

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This is on top of federal and state guarantees covering the Australian federation's plans to spend $2.8 billion on new stadiums in Sydney, Canberra and Perth and on upgrading nine other stadiums if the bid succeeds.

FIFA is due to announce on December 2 which country will host the 2022 World Cup.

Australia is competing against the United States, Japan, Korea and Qatar but has been rated by the World Football Insider newsletter as having the second weakest bid.

The head of media relations for the Australian bid, Rod Allen, said the bid had ''full federal, state and territory backing to the tune of $2.8 billion in new or upgraded stadiums and surrounding infrastructure''.

''We are not releasing a breakdown of the figures for each individual government, host city or stadium but we will in due course if we are successful,'' he said.

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Sport, Mark Arbib, said bidding countries had to provide government guarantees that stadiums, infrastructure, security, transport and other services would be delivered.

She said it was too soon to say how much money the governments would provide. ''If we are successful at winning the World Cup, we will then sit down with FIFA and negotiate the details.''

 

[kevrenor]

".. beefed-up security, public transport, customs and immigration services"

Meh!

Well, if you get that many people descending on Australia (other than in leaky boats) you'd want to beef up your security and customs facilities and staff.

Public transport just needs beefing up anyway!

 

[dibo]

all that improved infrastructure - what a tragedy.

 

[scottmac]

Haven't the public at large been crying out for improved public transport and immigration quite loudly over the last 10 - 20 years? It's all about the spin!

 

[pjennings]

While I think that at the moment the US are slightly in front of us I have the feeling that we will win the day. I can see deals being done where Australia gets 2022 and USA 2026. That will mean Africa 2010, South America 2014, Europe 2018, Asia/Oceania 2022, North America 2026 and South America with Uruguay/Argentina in 2030.

USA will get 2026 unchallenged - Europe and Asia would have just hosted, and South America will be looking at the centenary World Cup. So

2022 - Australia - 100 years after our first international game
2026 - US - the World Cup final to be held on 4th July 2026 on the 250th anniversary of American independence.
2030 - The final in Uruguay - 100 years since the first World Cup in Uruguay

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Boy I hope your right Pat.

They will be televising the final 30 minute bid presentations that take place the day before the announcement I think it is.
Don't think I saw that had been mentioned on here?
Should be good viewing.

 

[midfielder]

Cut ... put that in the tin..

Hollywood to help the bidders...Aussies Derin Seale to help Qatar & Phillip Noyce to help us.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/directors-in-world-cup-shootout-20101106-17i2y.html

Directors in World Cup shootout
Eamonn Duff
November 7, 2010
AN AUSTRALIAN film director has been hired to help win the 2022 football World Cup for Australia's rival bidders Qatar.

Derin Seale's short film, to be presented to the sport's governing body in Zurich on December 1, will aim to convince FIFA's 24-member executive committee that Qatar is a better choice than Australia.

Australian Phillip Noyce, one of Hollywood's leading directors, has been employed in an identical role by Football Federation Australia.

Former Socceroo and SBS chief football analyst Craig Foster said while there were far more important components to Australia's bid than a promotional video, the significance of the final presentations could not be underestimated.

"If FFA are spending considerable time and money on this final product, then clearly they believe it's likely to have some influence," Foster said.

Australia will be the first to make its final presentation to FIFA on December 1. Fellow 2022 bidders Korea, Qatar, the US and Japan follow the same day. Each competing nation for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be given 30 minutes to sway votes, with all nations having produced special videos to accompany their crucial final pitch. FIFA will announce its decision the next day.

FFA has commissioned Noyce, whose credits include Newsfront, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Bone Collector, to promote Australia in a short film rumoured to feature Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman.

An FFA spokesman said the film's content was a closely guarded secret.

Qatar hopes Seale's film will convince FIFA to hand the Middle East its first World Cup finals. If successful, he may have some explaining to do: according to research published this year, the 2002 World Cup would trigger $35.6 billion in spending in Australia, compared with the $9.1 billion that the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney generated.

Born into a family of filmmakers, Seale, 33, spent much of his childhood on set with his cinematographer father John Seale, who won an Oscar in 1997 for The English Patient.

Seale jnr is a director of the Radical Media agency, having previously produced commercial campaigns for big-name brands including PlayStation, BMW and Tiger Beer.

He declined to comment yesterday but Qatar bid adviser Mike Lee, who played a leading role in winning the Olympics for London in 2012, confirmed the former student at the University of Technology, Sydney, was on the payroll.

 

[midfielder]

Interesting figures...

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/world-cup-bid/decisive-popularity-margin-in-code-war/story-fn3g9e47-1225948937080

Australia's FIFA World Cup bid presentation will make the claim that "the beautiful game" is now Australia's most popular participant football code, with 1.69 million people playing the game last year.

Data used by Football Federation Australia, shows that football had 400,000 more participants than the other three codes combined.

Football's status as Australia's most popular sport to play is a key component of the bid book and will be incorporated in FFA's presentation in Zurich on December 2.

Using a combination of figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Sports Commission, the FFA will claim 1.69 million Aussies played soccer, both indoor and outdoor, in 2009.

This compares to Australian football's participation of 722,000, rugby league's 355,000 and rugby union's 194,000.

Incredibly, the combined participation of the other three codes is 1,271,000 - 419,000 less than football's claimed participation rate.

"It's a strong argument to bring the World Cup here and build facilities for the football players of the future," FFA CEO Ben Buckley said.



Meanwhile, FFA chairman Frank Lowy has said the cash-for-votes scandal that has rocked the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 would not impact Australia's chances.

"These allegations have nothing to do with Australia," Lowy said.

"We have been bidding and working in a proper manner."