Australia's bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup

[midfielder]

Brilliant speech by FL .... needs to be kept this is partly about the WC bid partky above SFC & partly about what we have achieved ... but a great speech...

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/2009InsideFFA/default.aspx?s=insideffa_newsfeature_features_item_new&id=36451

Frank Lowy Delivers Positive Speech
Friday, 5 November 2010

Frank Lowy's Speech

It’s always good to be among friends, and especially friends who are also friends of football!

I’d like to begin by asking you a question I often ask myself. And I should say before I ask it that I’ve never come up with a totally satisfactory answer.

What is it about this round ball?

What is it about this simple game, played with a round ball?

Why does such a simple thing – this round ball – kicked around by 22 people – touch the lives of billions of people around the world? From every country, every age group, all walks of life?

It has always been a source of wonder to me – what is the magic of football that it can speak to so many - across language, across religion, across nations, between people who have absolutely nothing else in common?

More than any other sport, some would say more than religion even, why is football so powerful?
We could spend forever answering this question, so let’s not try today.

The reason I raise it now is that it leads to another question – about why I am involved with football and always have been and always will be.
And now, on the eve of a decision about who will host the 2022 World Cup, it explains at least in part why I so desperately want Australia to win it.

The reason is that it has been my life’s work, my life’s ambition, to do as much as I can to bring the world to Australia and Australia to the world.

I have realised that ambition, at least to some extent, through my business of Westfield; and through things like the Lowy Institute for International Policy and in many other ways too.

But now, if we are successful on the 2nd of December, this country will have the opportunity of a lifetime to connect Australia with the world and the world with Australia on a scale never seen before.

It will connect us more closely with old friends, and countries that we know well, as well as new friends and countries which will be such an important part of our future.

If we win on the 2nd of December, the global power that flows from that simple round ball will be in our hands.
We will be able to bring it home, to Australia.

And if we use it wisely – as I know we will - it will pay dividends for Australia, in all sorts of ways, for generations to come, in ways that we can’t comprehend or envisage today.The prize really is that big.

So I’m very pleased to see so many of you here today to share in that dream.
Not just for the World Cup, but for everything football can do for this country whether we win on the 2nd of December or not.

Before I talk a bit more about football, I’d like to stand back and talk more broadly about Australia and our prospects as a country for the years ahead, because the bright future of Australia, and where our future growth comes from, is very closely aligned with the future of football as well.

Firstly, we should recognise that our economic performance, for a long time now, has been nothing short of miraculous.
We have now enjoyed two decades of economic growth.
This says a lot about the resilience of our economy – we have not just survived, but we have thrived, through three major external shocks: the Asian Financial Crisis (97/98); the Dot-com bust (2001) and now the Global Financial Crisis which hit in 2007.

In large part, that ability to withstand such enormous shocks is due to the quality of our institutions (our Treasury; the Reserve Bank; and the banking system generally). But we also need to acknowledge a bit of good luck in all this – the resources boom for example has played its part, particularly in the past few years.

Last year the world’s advanced economies as a group shrank by 3.2%; the US economy shrank by 2.6%; Europe by a little over 4%; the UK by almost 5% and Japan by more than 5%. That’s a lot of shrinking in the global economy.

By contrast, Australia grew by 1.2%!
Looking ahead, the IMF predicts that next year the world’s advanced economies will grow by a bit over 2%. They predict Australia will grow at about 3.5%.

Unemployment for Australia this year will be around 5% compared to 8 to 10% in Europe, the UK and United States.

Gross government debt is forecast to peak at less than 25% of GDP. Compare this to the G7 where the ratio of public debt to GDP is now over 100% for the first time since the 1950s.

So put all this into context. What it means is that for much of the developed world the post-GFC reality is shaping up as an uncomfortable place of lower growth, higher unemployment and more debt.

For Australia, the future looks much brighter.
We are a big winner from the mining boom of course. And this is driving an investment boom. We are now a high-investment economy.

Australia is in the right place now, at the right time, and our trade profile is now linked to some of the world most dynamic economies in Asia.
This is all great news, but let me stress something very important.

I fully appreciate that these big picture statistics don’t always tell the full story.
As you know, I am close to the coal-face of Australian business, and to retail in particular, so I know that for many companies it can be quite tough.

Even in relatively good times, there will always be sectors of the economy and individual businesses that are doing it tough.
So I’m not saying absolutely everything is rosy.

And the scale and surprise of the GFC shocked us all so we should remind ourselves to be realistic at all times, and not take the good times for granted.
But all said, Australia is in great shape, and if we continue to manage things well there is no reason we can’t improve on our current position over the next few years.

As I said earlier, the broader story of Australia does, I believe, mirror the story of football in this country.Overall we have done incredibly well in football terms.
We have put in place some strong foundations. The fundamental indicators forecast a bight future for the game.

But, just like in business, we face challenges. There are certain parts of the game of football that are having difficulties.The A-League, for some very good reasons, has come in for some scrutiny lately.

I say: “Fair enough.” It’s not perfect, we know that.
It has some problems. We know that.But let’s provide some context. Let’s keep things in perspective.

I ask you to remember that we are in the foundation phase of a new national competition. We are in year five of a long journey.

The other football codes – AFL, NRL and Rugby Union – have been around for a long time and have become part of the mainstream of Australian society.
And football (soccer) was around for a long time too. But not as part of the mainstream.

For most of its history in Australia football was marginalised.It was its own worst enemy thanks to the ethnic divisions that were brought here from Europe after the war.

They continued their centuries-old feuding and fighting using football as the battle ground, and that kept mainstream Australia away from our game.
It is only now, in the past few years, that we have emerged to begin to take our rightful place in the mainstream of Australian sport, and the Australian community generally.

There was no better display of this than the way the whole nation reacted to the Socceroos performance at the World Cup in Germany in 2006. Or the fact that John Aloisi’s winning penalty goal at the Homebush stadium that qualified us for that World Cup is now regularly cited as one of Australia’s all-time greatest sporting moments.

So our ambition is not to displace our friends in the other codes. It is simply for football to enter the mainstream and take its rightful place. And in a sports-mad country like Australia, believe me, there is room enough for us all.

I am very proud of how far football has come in such a short time. Let me list a few achievements. Since 2004 we have:
• Replaced the defunct former body Soccer Australia.

• Put in place a new constitution, an independent board and brought together the State Federations as members of the Football Federation of Australia.

• Established the national competition, known as the Hyundai A-League.

• Made football accessible to all Australians and got rid of the ethnic tensions of the past.

• Joined the Asian Football Confederation.

• Participated in two successive World Cup campaigns after a 30-year absence from that stage. And we expect to be there for every World Cup in the future.

• Participated in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and qualified for the 2011 Asian Cup.

• Performed above expectations in a range of women’s and youth international competitions.

• Launched the National Football Development Plan and implemented its key initiatives including small-sided games and national curriculum.

• Hosted the Asian Football Confederation Congress and Awards in 2007.

• Hosted the 58th FIFA Congress in 2008.

• Established a national youth and national women’s league.

• Introduced a national indigenous program.

• Lodged bids to host the 2015 Asian Cup, and of course, the 2022 World Cup.

That’s an unbelievable list of achievements and a credit to the many, many people at all levels of Australian football that have helped make it happen.

That’s on the plus side.

But the reality is that because we are still in the foundation phase we are still managing a number of issues.
We are evolving, looking to expand, build support for the game. All this involves trying new things, experimenting, winning some and losing some.

But we are winning more than we are losing. And that’s where I think the negativity about some aspects of the A-League is lost on many commentators.
Every setback is not a crisis.

When a club runs into financial difficulty it doesn’t mean the entire competition is doomed.
When we delay a plan to introduce a new club we are not waving the white flag – we are being prudent, we are learning lessons from the past few years, we are making decisions in the long-term interest of the game.

Just like the Australian economy, Australian football needs to become more resilient. We have to be more resilient if we are to be going strong in the long term.
And that is the ambition everyone who loves this game should have for our sport.

Ladies and gentlemen

We have almost come to the end of a long and hard campaign to win the right to host the World Cup in 2022.
I must tell you it’s been one of the toughest challenges of my life.
No effort has been spared by me, and of course Ben Buckley, members of the FFA board and the whole team at FFA.

We have had wonderful support from the governments and people of Australia.
But as we get closer to the 2nd of December when the decision is announced the reality is driven home to us that this is a real contest in every sense of the world.

Our competitors for ’22 are the United States, Korea-Japan and Qatar. All are formidable rivals.
The European bidders are fighting for 2018, and believe me they are fighting like never before to win.
I believe Australia has the best bid for ‘22. I know we have the best bid.

I know we have convinced many of the FIFA Executive Committee that we have the best bid.
But will we have the critical 13 votes out of 24 needed to win it?

In my heart I really believe so. But I’ve been around for a long time, and I know that it’s not over till the fat lady sings.

If we win, I can’t tell you what it will do for Australia – it has the potential to be a “nation-transforming” event, and we will be able to harness the power I spoke about at the outset for the good of Australia, and for the region.

As a proud member of the Asian Football Confederation we will be representing our region to the world, and we will be looking for ways to involve our Asian counterparts in helping Australia stage and promote the “best ever” World Cup and take it to the world.

The potential to advance Australia’s football, business and cultural links to the region is enormous.

If we host the 2022 World Cup it will take place at precisely the moment in history when Asia, and the powerhouse economies of China, India, South Korea and others, replace today’s developed economies as the engine room of the global economy.
So to win it would be a dream come true. And it will deliver benefits for this generation and generations of Australians not yet born.

If we lose, then we will need to draw on that resilience I mentioned a minute ago.

It would be a crushing disappointment to me personally, and to everyone who loves the game.

But life will go on. And football will go on.

We have planned for the past seven years for a future without a World Cup, so winning the Cup was always a fantastic bonus, the real icing on the cake.
But even if we lose we will still have the cake – a solid, realistic plan to methodically grow the game here in the years ahead, both our domestic competition and grass roots, and at the international level.

And if we lose, I am going to stay the distance and do what I set out to do when I took this job on seven years ago.
I will continue this work as Chairman of FFA. And the whole FFA team will suck up the disappointment and we will get on with the job.

So ladies and gentlemen, you can see why I am so excited, and so confident, about the future of football in Australia.
I know that some of you are new to football. Some of you might not have ever attended a game or a function like this.

The fact is that it’s very hard for sporting clubs of any description, but especially for a new one like Sydney FC, to build a strong supporter base.
Sydney FC has made a start, and The Cove is a fantastic example of the type of fanatical supporter base every club would love to have.

Sydney is one of the leading clubs in the a-League. It ought to be one of the leading clubs, coming from Australia’s leading city and already with a record of success behind it.
It has won two grand finals, and one championship.

This year, we know, is a struggle. But that is part and parcel of sport, and part and parcel of life, and I’m sure they’ll come good.
Because Sydney is a leading club it needs to continue to work hard to make sure that Sydney FC reaches into all areas of Sydney life – young people, the business community, families – across the board.

It is this sort of connection to the community that is the lifeblood of a sporting club – it’s the connection that becomes the heart and soul of the club and what helps make great sporting clubs – ones with history, tradition, a loyal following and a place in the community.

Melbourne and Sydney are very different cities for a whole host reasons, but I think it is harder in Sydney to be adopted by the community.

But this is something Sydney FC must strive for.
And we can learn some lessons from Melbourne – from the AFL and even dare I say it to this audience, the Melbourne football clubs.

The sporting culture of their city means that every strata of society is part of the fabric of Melbourne clubs. At all levels and in many different ways they connect with their community.

That’s what we have the opportunity to do here in Sydney. And today’s event I hope is a big step in that direction, and I hope that all of you are here today to be in the vanguard of helping us achieve that objective.

So I encourage you to be involved with Sydney FC.
Get personally involved and involve your family and friends.

By doing so you will be making a very valuable investment in our city and in a game that is truly a global force, and a game that can work wonders for Australia in the years ahead.

Thank you.

 

[midfielder]

Frank Lowy interviews...

Channel 10
My link


SBS My link

 

[midfielder]

Good article by Steve Waugh

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/cricket/asian-tv-boost-for-our-cup-bid/story-e6frectl-1225945626999


AUSTRALIAN cricket legend Steve Waugh has urged all Australians to get behind the 2022 World Cup bid, as new research reveals the tournament could attract the largest television audience in history.

Waugh, who has helped mentor the Socceroos in an unofficial capacity since the 2007 Asian Cup, said Australia's chances to host the tournament were "better than 50-50" and supporters of all sports needed to back the bid for the good of the nation.

"I think the benefits for the country far outweigh the negative impacts, possibly, for some of those other sports in the short term," the former Test captain said. "It really is Australia bidding, not just one code."

The hosts for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments will be announced in Zurich on December 2 after FIFA yesterday confirmed they would not delay the announcement, despite a continuing investigation into corruption and collusion.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the vote would proceed as scheduled, but acknowledged that it may have been a mistake to combine the two World Cups into one bidding process.

"I am not convinced now that it was the right decision," Blatter said.

Meanwhile, FFA research obtained by The Sunday Mail has shown massive economic growth in Asia - and a boom in the number of televisions could see more viewers than ever before watching the 2022 tournament.

"The potential broadcasting revenue generated by a FIFA World Cup in Australia will have the capacity to dwarf that of other regions, especially by 2022," FFA chief executive officer Ben Buckley said.

"FIFA's corporate partners will have access to the fastest growing economies in the world and the massive middle classes of China and India in what makes a very compelling argument to give the world's biggest sporting event to Australia."

The PricewaterhouseCoopers research revealed that viewers lost in Europe and the Americas - where matches would be telecast at awkward times - would be more than offset by a massive jump in viewers from Asia.

In the report, PwC compared the only previous Asian Confederation World Cup, the 2002 tournament jointly held by Japan and South Korea, with the previous tournament in France in 1998.

"In comparison to the 1998 World Cup, which was held in France, the reduction in European viewers (two billion) during this tournament was more than offset by gains of four billion viewers in Asia," the report said.

"Similarly, in 2006 the World Cup returned to Europe, resulting in an increase of one billion European viewers, which was offset by a decrease of three billion viewers in Asia. This demonstrates that the audience upside opportunity is greatest when the FIFA World Cup is held in Asia."

Waugh, who was a talented junior soccer player player - representing the Australian schoolboys before embarking on a record-breaking cricket career - said he always made himself available if the Socceroos needed his advice.

"I give advice on the stuff I experienced in my journey as a cricketer," he said. "Elite athletes are all under similar pressures - whether it's being away from the family for a while, or the expectations, being together on tour, or playing in front of foreign crowds."

Waugh, whose charity the Steve Waugh Foundation assists children with rare diseases in Australia and India, has seen first-hand the massive economic growth in Asia.

"We're all part of Asia, it's all connected, and if our bid is successful it will strengthen the game all over the region. Europe and South America are the hubs of soccer but I can see Asia joining them."

 

[midfielder]

Note passed between Spain & Qatar... HHHHHHHMMMMM discussing the Mariners i assume...

http://www.sportsfeatures.com/soccernews/story/47708/spain-and-qatar-under-fifa-microscope-again-in-note-row

KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications

LONDON/ZURICH, Nov 10: The controversy over World Cup voting collusion erupted once more after reports of a note-passing incident during a FIFA executive meeting and involving Spain's Angel Villar and Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Speculation about a deal between the countries over support for their bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup had already prompted a reference to the FIFA Ethics Commission.

This concern will be fuelled by confirmation of the existence of the note from Villar to bin Hammam which said: "Congratulations, vamos a ganar" which translates as "We are going to win". This will further embarrass FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

The remark could be taken as Villar Llona suggesting Spain were on course to win the 2018 World Cup race and Qatar the 2022 tournament.

Chuck Blazer, the United States' member of FIFA's executive committee - which votes on the dual World Cup hostings in Zurich on December 2 - said he believed the note related only to Villar being confident of escaping sanctions over the allegations of collusion.

Blazer told Press Association Sport: "It is more likely the note referred to the subject that the previous conversation had been about. That discussion had been about the ethics committee and the fact that nobody had provided any hard evidence of collusion."

The note was passed by Villar Llona during the FIFA executive meeting on October 29 in Zurich. Blazer said he was surprised by the behaviour, adding: "I don't think it was the time or place. I think Mohamed was slightly embarrassed. It's the type of thing that shouldn't have happened but nothing more than that."

The note was also seen by another FIFA executive member, Michel D'Hooghe from Belgium. Both men speak Spanish and it is understood bin Hammam actually asked Blazer to translate the Spanish phrase - the word 'Congratulations' was in English.

Bid nations

Blazer and D'Hooghe both represent countries who are also bidding for the World Cups.

Further confusion was added to the process when Guatemala's Rafael Salguero, another of the 24-man FIFA exco, has said he is not sure he will support his regional 'home' US bid for 2022 despite representing the same confederation, CONCACAF.

Salguero was quoted by the Bloomberg agency as saying: "I don't know what I'll do. The US is possible but I can't say anything at this moment. I'm waiting for the vote, the secret vote."

FIFA's ethics committee rules next week on two of the 24 members, Nigeria's Amos Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii, who have been suspended following allegations in The Sunday Times that they wanted cash for their cash. They deny any wrongdoing.

Salguero refused to speak about that situation, saying: "I think there are many ugly things which I'd prefer not to comment on. I'm not involved in any of that."

 

[midfielder]

From SBS the pro's and con's of each bid..

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1032193/FIFA:-World-Cup-in-Oz-safe-


FIFA: World Cup in Oz safe

17 November 2010-SBS and PA Sport

Bidding for glory ... Frank Lowy presents Australia's bid book to Sepp Blatter (Getty)
A World Cup in Australia in 2022 would provide “security”, according to FIFA’s evaluation report on the bidding nations to be published on Wednesday night (AEDT).


Australia is among five bidders for the world’s biggest sporting event along with Qatar, Japan, Korea Republic and United States.

FIFA will announce the host nations of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Zurich on December 2.

The technical report will show that the security factor is one of the good points Australia will provide if chosen to host the event.

The legacy on world football a tournament in Australia would provide is also one of the bid’s positive points, as is transport infrastructure.

On the downside, Australia is deemed to have a shortage of contracted hotel rooms, transport challenges and a risk of reduction in European and American TV income.

Press Association Sport has seen an advanced copy of the FIFA report and it outlines some of the key points as identified by the inspectors.

AUSTRALIA (bidding for 2022)

Good points: Legacy, security, stadia, transport infrastructure.

Bad points: Shortage of contracted hotel rooms, transport challenges, risk of reduction in European and American TV income.

JAPAN (2022)

Good points: Stadia, technology developments, hotels, transport.

Bad points: Security plan not fully ensured, risk of reduction in European and American TV income.

QATAR (2022)
Good points: Novel approach to World Cup, legacy, new stadia.

Bad points: June/July heat "potential health risk", 12 stadiums located within a 20-mile radius.

SOUTH KOREA (2022)
Good points: Legacy - may play some games in North Korea, stadia, technology, security.

Bad points: Risk of reduction in European and American TV income.

USA (2022)

Good points: Stadia already built, hotels, transport, security.

Bad points: "Medium legal risk", lack of government guarantees.

ENGLAND (bidding for 2018)

Good points: Transport, stadia, IT, security, marketing, legacy.

Bad points: Too few venue-specific training sites or venue-specific team hotels, too few training base camp hotels.

NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM (2018)

Good points: Stadia, legacy.

Bad points: Too few hotel rooms, co-hosting "a challenge", lack of government guarantees.

RUSSIA (2018)
Good points: 13 planned new stadia, hotels, legacy.

Bad points: Huge transport challenge and major building program needed.

SPAIN/PORTUGAL (2018)
Good points: Stadia, transport, hotels, legacy.

Bad points: Lack of clear security plan, co-hosting "a challenge".

 

[midfielder]

Good article by SBS..

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1031479/Australia's-bid-

Australia's bid appeal


Contender...Australia has as good a chance as any of hosting the 2022 World Cup. (Getty)
Does Australia have a realistic chance of hosting the hottest event in world sport, the World Cup?
Blatter praises South Korea bidClinton committed to bidFIFA in spotlight againBlatter to call meeting of bid voters

By any objective assessment, yes, with the odds probably close to 50-50.

Australia has made a compelling case for the 2022 World Cup, to be decided along with the European-bound 2018 tournament by world body FIFA's 24-man executive committee in Zurich on December 2.

All things considered, Football Federation Australia (FFA) boss Frank Lowy has grounds to feel "reasonably optimistic" about Australia's chances against the US, Japan, South Korea and Qatar.

Since pulling out of the 2018 race for strategic reasons, Australia's hopes for 2022 increasingly have looked like being decided in a shoot-out with the US.

Japan and South Korea already have shared the World Cup successfully, in 2002, and no doubt could do so again on their own.

But time and history weigh against them - 2018 favourite England has been waiting half a century for a second crack.

Qatar, cashed up with natural wealth, could buy just about anything except what it needs most - space and climate.

It's smaller than Sydney and bakes in 40-plus heat and high humidity.

You can build any amount of stadiums in air conditioned bubbles, critics say, but you can't refrigerate a whole country.

"Everything (in Qatar) is top notch," says Saudi Arabia-based Socceroo Jon McKain, "but I think that (climate) is going to be very difficult to counteract."

Which, if FIFA's decision-makers share those widely held sentiments, leaves two countries.

Australia's track record of hosting mega events, from the Olympics down, is a major plus.

"We are a safe pair of hands," says Lowy.

Also in Australia's favour is its standing as a perennial global favourite, a sunny, multicultural nation glowing with economic health, stable government and friendly people who are nuts about sport.

"You have already held a competition like the Olympics here," Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino Martino said when his team visited Sydney to play the Socceroos in October.

"You have all the infrastructure, plus Australia is a first world country."

The nuts and bolts of Australia's bid - the stadiums, accommodation, transport, infrastructure and a myriad of other requirements - are impressive.

But they are not quite as impressive as America's.

From US sponsorship and TV rights to a seemingly endless list of stadiums - 18 in fact, with the smallest holding 66,000 - it's difficult to argue with such a giant economy of scale.

Thanks to private investors and a $US50 million fighting fund left over from the 1994 World Cup, the US bid requires no extra taxpayer dollars, unlike the $2.8 billion Australia will have to rustle up.

It requires no expensive new stadiums, either, whereas Australia requires new arenas in Perth, Canberra and western Sydney, major upgrades in Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Geelong and Townsville, and minor upgrades at Sydney's two big centres, the SFS and the Olympic stadium.

The US bid is actively supported by rival domestic sporting codes, too, a far cry from the acrimony and brinkmanship which had the AFL holding out on access to the MCG until two days before Australia's bid had to be submitted last May.

And America has promised a financially successful tournament for FIFA, with ticket sales revenue alone projected to exceed $US1 billion.

Australia is the only one of the nine bids not directly represented on FIFA's 24-man inner sanctum.

But Australia is also the only bidder which has had the chance to impress so much of the football family directly, having hosted 1,500 delegates at the FIFA congress in Sydney in 2008.

Australian officials hope and believe that will translate into support at the ballot box.

"It's not easy to get FIFA to your country," said Australia's head of bid operations Stuart Taggart.

"I think Sydney exceeded their expectations."

Australia's bid enjoys bipartisan political support, a fact Julia Gillard underlined when she used her first overseas trip as Prime Minister to meet FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Zurich.

FIFA's bid inspection committee members are thought to have been impressed at being hosted in Sydney's Kirribilli House in July in the middle of a federal election campaign.

But the US bid has heavyweight backing, too, in the form of ex-President Bill Clinton.

Australia has two extra factors going for it, however, both geographical.

The first appeals to the number-crunchers - Australia is part of the Asian region that is set to rule the world economy and which by 2022 will be home to 70 per cent of the world's population.

The second appeals to the romantics - Australia is the only continent yet to host a World Cup.

The great southern land's geographical isolation usually counts against it.

But in this context, it is FIFA's last frontier.

Time is running out if FIFA is to take its biggest event to every continent in its first century, since the first tournament in Uruguay in 1930.

After this there are only two more chances, in 2026 and 2030, by which time a powerhouse like China, having already hosted the 2008 Olympics, might be flexing its football muscle and South America could reasonably expect to be given another turn.

FIFA's alleged vote-buying scandal should not affect either Australia or the US, even though it led to the provisional suspension of avowed Australian backer Reynald Temarii of Tahiti along with Nigerian Amos Adamu.

"While he (Temarii) is important - and the congress of his (Oceania) confederation decided he had to vote for us - clearly we are not a one-man show," said Australian bid consultant Peter Hargitay.

London's Sunday Times secretly filmed Temarii and Adamu apparently offering their votes for funds for football projects in interviews with undercover reporters.

Former FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen was also filmed saying Qatar and 2018 bidder Spain-Portugal had struck a deal giving each seven votes from the 24-man FIFA executive, in breach of FIFA bidding rules.

As FIFA's ethics committee tries to get to the bottom of these allegations, Australia can only play to its strengths ahead of its final presentation on December 2.

"People like Australia," said Taggart.

"We are an attractive destination, famous for places like Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef.

"We have multicultural diversity, so we are a home away from home.

"We are used to staging events involving hundreds of thousands of people; it's not new to us.

"We can fill stadiums, we have a great volunteering ethic, we are safe and secure.

"We are offering the No Worries World Cup."

 

[midfielder]

Sobering analysis..

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/expected-loss-in-television-revenue-may-hurt-australias-chances-of-hosting-2022-fifa-world-cup/story-e6frf423-1225955229770


Expected loss in television revenue may hurt Australia's chances of hosting 2022 FIFA World Cup


The expected substantial loss of revenue from Europe and the Americas seems to be the major stumbling block for Australia's bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Football's world governing body FIFA released its evaluation reports on the nine bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Wednesday and found a number of positives for Australia including having a technically sound bid, strong support and an opportunity to bring the tournament to the region for the first time.

But the bugbear appears to be how having Australia as a host impacts upon television revenues.

The report indicated it was certainly an issue.

"Should the FIFA World Cup be hosted in Australia, there is a risk of a reduction in TV income and, as a result, commercial revenue from Europe and the Americas," the executive summary on Australia pointed out.

"The income from Asia/Oceania would need to be increased substantially to offset the likelihood of loss of revenue in Europe."

FIFA gets about 95 per cent of its income from the tournament.



The winning bidders for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments will be announced on December 2 in Zurich.

Football Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley played down that element in a statement, saying the massive projected growth in the Asian region would more than offset any reduced revenue from Europe.

"Asia's middle class is growing rapidly and by 2022 there will be more middle class consumers in Asia than there will be in Europe and North America combined," Buckley said.

"This will greatly increase the value of television rights in Asia, allowing FIFA the opportunity to more than recoup any potential reduction in income derived from Europe or the Americas.

"Australia offers the opportunity to hold the World Cup in prime time for a region that will be home to three quarters of the world's population in 2022.

Other positives for Australia in the report were transport infrastructure, communications, security and a track record of hosting major events.

Negatives also included actual transport logistics given the size of Australia and as yet not meeting the required number of venue specific team hotels.

Australia's main rivals for 2022 didn't tick every box from FIFA either, with suggestions that Qatar's desert heat could put players' health at risk, and that the US bid needed stronger guarantees of federal government support.

Of the 2018 bidders FIFA's technical panel reported that favourites England, and Spain-Portugal, are "low-risk" options, while Russia faced challenges on providing transport infrastructure.

The two-year bidding process has been overshadowed by claims published by a British newspaper that officials and bidders have already been trading votes behind the scenes.

FIFA's ethics committee will announce Thursday if two of the 24 voters - Reynald Temarii and Amos Adamu - should be barred for allegedly offering their support for sale.

The Qatari and Iberian bids face possible exclusion over allegations they broke FIFA rules by colluding to swap votes.

 

[midfielder]

It must be getting close heaps of news coming out and contrasting articles...

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/world-cup-bid/fifa-evaluation-group-backs-australias-bid-to-host-2022-fifa-world-cup/story-fn3g9e47-1225955299532

FIFA Evaluation Group backs Australia's bid to host 2022 FIFA World Cup

he FIFA Evaluation Group has confirmed that Australia’s bid is technically sound, enjoys excellent support and highlights the opportunity to bring the FIFA World Cu to Australia and Oceania for the first time.

The Evaluation Group has publically released the executive summary of each of its reports on the nine bidders for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Comprehensive reports on each bidder have been prepared by the group and submitted to the FIFA Executive Committee before the host country selection on 2 December.


Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley welcomed the release of the report that showed Australia’s was judged as one of the best all-round bids.

"Our bid has ticked all of the boxes and our full government guarantees mean we really will be a ‘no worries’, friendly and safe option for FIFA and the football fans of the world," Buckley said.


"We are pleased that the Evaluation Group has confirmed that our bid meets FIFA’s requirements and is well supported by Australian governments and all key stakeholders.

"We think that when FIFA pairs the excellent bid proposal we have prepared with the unparalleled opportunity we offer as a bridge between Asia and Oceania, we offer a compelling case for FIFA to take the World Cup to the only continent that has never hosted it."

Australia’s time zone and geographic location are two of its most compelling strengths in bidding for the FIFA World Cup.

It provides an experienced event delivery partner, a safe pair of hands and a fun, relaxed, safe and secure destination within a region that will be the world’s commercial nucleus in 2022.

Buckley said the massive projected growth in the Asian region would more than offset any reduced revenue from Europe.

"Asia’s middle class is growing rapidly and by 2022 there will be more middle-class consumers in Asia than there will be in Europe and North America combined,” Buckley said.

“This will greatly increase the value of television rights in Asia, allowing FIFA the opportunity to more than recoup any potential reduction in income derived from Europe or the Americas.

"Australia offers the opportunity to hold the World Cup in prime time for a region that will be home to three-quarters of the world’s population in 2022.

"This represents an unparalleled commercial opportunity for FIFA and its partners to maximise their revenues from the World Cup.”

The unequivocal support the bid enjoys from Australian governments was recognised as a core strength, with compliant Government Guarantees and Declaration provided and all necessary support secured.

The report confirms Australia’s considerable experience in hosting major events and recognises the contribution a FIFA World Cup in Australia would make towards establishing football as one of the leading sports in Australia and Oceania.

Australia’s transport, safety and security, health and medical and information and communications technology proposals are all endorsed as being of international standard and able to meet all of FIFA’s requirements.

Australian governments have supported the bid from its inception, with the Federal Government providing $45.6 million to fund it, COAG confirming the country’s united commitment to it, and a stadium proposal supported by all Australian governments.

"A lot of confidence has been shown in the report in our experience of putting on large events like the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and many World Cup competitions for other sports," Buckley said.

"Our bid has the full support of the hospitality and tourism industries, and they have assured us they will have more high-quality hotel rooms than will be needed and that has been noted in the report.

"Our aviation experts have briefed FIFA and told them our air transport network is one of the best in the world and will easily handle the necessary capacity."

 

[midfielder]

WE loose a vote ... Oceania vote is lost as the guy is kicked out ... why the fark can a new person be appointed.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/world-cup-bid/australia-loes-likely-vote-for-2022-world-cup-after-fifa-suspended-oceania-chief-reynald-temarii/story-fn3g9e47-1225955990873

Australia loses likely vote for 2022 World Cup as FIFA suspend Oceania chief Reynald Temarii

From correspondents in Zurich, Switzerland AAP November 18, 2010 9:45PM

Australia looks to have lost a vital vote as they bid to host the 2022 World Cup with soccer's governing body FIFA suspending Oceania chief Reynald Temarii.

Because of his close ties to the region, Tahiti's Temarii was expected to gift Australia a vote when the FIFA executive meets to decide the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

But Temarii will now take no part in the December 2 process in Zurich.

Foxsports.com.au will broadcast a live video stream of the announcement of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts from 2am (EDT) on December 3. Fox Sports News (Channel 513) will broadcast full coverage of the announcement ceremony from 1am (EDT) on December 3.

Temarii was suspended for one year for breaching FIFA's loyalty and confidentiality rules when he was secretly filmed in an undercover sting by London's Sunday Times newspaper reporters who posed as lobbyists trying to buy votes.

Fellow FIFA executive member, Nigeria's Amos Adamu, was also suspended from all football activity for three years for agreeing to take bribes in the same sting.

Both men were fined and four other footballing officials were also sanctioned.



Qatar and Spain-Portugal were however cleared of vote-trading.

With Adamu and Temarii suspended, 22 FIFA ruling committee members - instead of 24 - will now vote in the World Cup secret ballots.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said there was not enough time for Adamu and Temarii to overturn the ethics verdicts before the vote.

"There will only be 22 members for the vote," Valcke said.

The vote will proceed with a full slate of nine bid candidates after FIFA's ethics committee, led by chairman Claudio Sulser, found no evidence to prove the British newspaper's claims that Qatar and Spain-Portugal broke rules by colluding to exchange votes.

"We didn't find sufficient grounds to reach the conclusion that there was any collusion," said Sulser, adding that the FIFA voters implicated gave written statements but were not questioned.

The 2018 contest is between England, Russia and the joint bids of Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal.

The 2022 race involves the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Qatar.

Temarii's lawyer, Geraldine Lesieur, said he was cleared of corruption but banned over confidentiality rules.

"We have trouble understanding the decision," Lesieur said.

She acknowledged his appeal would not be completed before December 2.

The rulings were delivered after a month-long investigation that FIFA President Sepp Blatter insisted should "bring back credibility to football."

Sulser's panel examined evidence and heard witnesses in a three-day session this week, using unedited videos and transcripts provided by the newspaper.

"The damage done to FIFA is very great,'' said Sulser, who also spoke out against the newspaper for "twisting the facts" by publishing edited interviews.

Sulser said the six suspended officials broke the ethics code through lack of loyalty to FIFA while "others involve bribery because they did not refuse certain offers that were made to them."

Four former FIFA executive members were suspended for a total of 12 years. They reportedly told reporters how to bribe FIFA officials and how much to pay.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron will host FIFA vice-president Jack Warner for a two hour lunch in Zurich next week to rally support for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

"He called me to ask me for my support for the English bid and he asked me to join him for lunch next Thursday,'' Warner said of the invitation.

"He also hoped David Beckham was a good ambassador and said that if there was anything he can do for Trinidad and Tobago he will be prepared to do so,'' Warner said.

Warner said he has not made up his mind which country he would support in the 2018 bid, but told the British PM that Russia was England's strongest challenger.

 

[midfielder]

The sewerage plant ... interesting reference ... just hope Dan is wrong when is writes we need to do a Bradbury...

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/cup-bid-needs-to-do-a-bradbury-20101119-180wj.html

Cup bid needs to do a Bradbury
Dan Silkstone
November 20, 2010

AS METAPHORS go, it is near irresistible. Jack Warner - FIFA vice-president, powerbroker and ''colourful personality'' - was, he declared on Thursday, ''touring a sewerage plant'' in his capacity as Trinidadian Minister for Works and Transport when the call came from British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Could the pair possibly meet, asked Cameron, concerned that a scheduled BBC investigation of Warner's infamous dealings might endanger his support for England's bid. ''No problem,'' Warner said. But Cameron would have to come to him. Jack was too busy for a trip to Downing Street.

For the next fortnight or so this will be the order of things. The Camerons of this world, the Julia Gillards and Vladimir Putins (and maybe even the Barack Obamas) must supplicate themselves to the 22 men who will vote on December 2 to award hosting rights to two World Cups.


A chaotic and, well … sewagey, bid process has raged for three years but now - as nine contenders converge on two tournaments - the final push begins.

FIFA's executive was meeting overnight (Sydney time) to pick over the rulings of its ethics committee with a push expected to be mounted for Qatar to be expelled on the grounds of a technical report that found high temperatures in the emirate could pose a health risk.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter was said to be pondering a move against Qatar but that would trigger a showdown with Mohammed Bin Hammam - a fierce rival for the FIFA presidency and chief backer of Qatar.

Sources said yesterday support appeared to be ebbing for a Qatari bid that had been a surprise leader until recently, due to a much-publicised (but officially denied) deal with 2018 bidders Spain-Portugal.

With just a fortnight to go before the vote that could redefine football in Australia, the situation is chaotic and Qatar still strong.

Australia hopes to corral 11 votes of the 22 now available, following the banning on corruption charges of Nigerian Amos Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii. A tie would give the casting vote to Blatter, whom Frank Lowy and his team hope will back them.

The best scenario has Australia scraping through the first round with a handful of European votes, including Germany's Franz Beckenbauer, France's Michel Platini, Russia's Vitaly Mutko and possibly Cypriot Marios Lefkaritis. There is a growing belief that Muslim voters, such as Turkey's Senes Erzik, will back Qatar.

If Japan and South Korea are knocked out early (a certainty in Japan's case but not necessarily so for Korea), the votes of members from those two nations are crucial for Australia to stay in. Bin Hammam has been closely courting both in recent weeks (although he is more likely to be well received by Japan than Korea, whose member Chung Mong-joon is a rival for Blatter's presidency next year.)

Unless, of course, they do a deal. Australia has hopes of picking up both Japan and Korea's votes, as well as Thai member Worawi Makudi's, to push it into the third round of voting and beyond. To that end, coming days could be crucial. While the likes of England's Cameron and US bid leaders desperate to defuse Qatar's bid converge on Switzerland, FFA chief executive Ben Buckley will begin his final push in Kuala Lumpur. There he is expected to press Australia's case to fellow Asian confederation members including Bin Hammam, Joon and Japan's Junji Ogura at a meeting of the Asian Football Confederation.

The United States, which promises to sell 40 per cent more tickets than Australia and offers a TV ratings bonanza, remains in the lead for the 2022 tournament. There is hope that if Australia can make the final two in the elimination rounds of voting, support from Asia, Africa and South America could swing behind Australia.

''There is a chance of a last man standing, Steven Bradbury sort of situation occurring,'' a source told the Herald. ''But a lot of things have to go right.''

It is a confusing situation, compounded by FIFA's decision to award the 2018 and 2022 tournaments simultaneously. This led to collusion and vote-swapping, and will never be allowed to happen again.

Temarii, the Oceania member banned for a year after being caught in a Sunday Times sting, has vowed to clear his name and change the FIFA voting structure.

Of the nine countries still in the hunt, only Australia does not have an executive committee member (and a guaranteed vote). Qatar's bid wouldn't have a chance without Qatari Bin Hammam on the committee.

''I intend to come back to FIFA and be one of the drivers that will allow FIFA to correct its structures,'' he said. ''We need to considerably improve.''

An understatement but much work is to be done to eradicate the scent of sewage from this process

 

[midfielder]

Here's something unusual Blatter praises our bid ...

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1032551/Blatter-hails-Aussie-'no-ties'-bid


Blatter hails Aussie 'no worries' bid


FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has praised Australia's bid for the 2022 World Cup, suggesting the lack of controversy surrounding it to be a strength.


With voting for hosting rights to be decided in less than a fortnight on December 3 (AEDT) in Zurich, Blatter said Australia's lack of representation on the FIFA executive committee shouldn't harm its chances.

Following Oceania boss Reynald Temarii's banning this week from voting because of bribery allegations, Blatter delivered some good news for Football Federation Australia.

Australia is the only bidding country not represented on the 22-man executive committee that will determine the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments next month.

Blatter thought it might not be a bad thing for Australia to be free of such ties.

"I don't think so ... when you don't speak too much about a candidature, it means that it is a good one," Blatter said in Zurich.

"But I can't see that (because) there is no representative from Australia, that Australia has less of a chance than the others".

Australia has gone to great lengths to win over Blatter's support, the FIFA president will cast the deciding vote if it is locked at 11-11 between the final two bidding nations.

Julia Gillard last month made a fleeting visit to Blatter at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland on her first overseas trip as Prime Minister to shore up his support.

South Korea, Japan, the United States and Qatar are all competing against Australia to hold the tournament in 12 years' time.

Qatar's bid was hit this week by FIFA concerns surrounding the stifling heat in that country in June.

There has also been a shadow over Qatar's bid following allegations of vote swapping with 2018 co-candidates Portugal and Spain.

Blatter hinted that FIFA would avoid such issues in the future by not holding concurrent bids.

"Now we have to have a look at how to act in the future to avoid such situations, definitely this is an item which is now under scrutiny," he said.

 

[midfielder]

Busy day we must be getting close to the vote..

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/why-loss-of-one-vote-could-sink-australias-world-cup-bid/story-e6frg7mf-1225956823397

Why loss of one vote could sink Australia's World Cup bid


AUSTRALIA'S hopes of winning the rights to stage the 2022 World Cup finals have received an almighty kick in the guts.

The decision by FIFA to suspend executive committee vice-president Reynald Temarii is a body-blow to the bid.

Not surprisingly, a pall of disappointment, uncertainty and trepidation now surrounds the country's hopes of staging the finals after Temarii, widely regarded as a certain vote for Australia, was suspended on Thursday night for 12 months by FIFA's ethics committee.

While the president of the Oceania Football Confederation was cleared of corruption, he nonetheless paid the price for breaking confidentiality rules after he was caught in a sting by reporters from London's The Sunday Times allegedly accepting the promise of financial inducements to run local academies in return for supporting specific bids.


Another executive committee member, Nigerian Amos Adamu, received a three-year ban for asking for cash for votes while Ismael Bhamjee of Botswana, Amadou Diakite of Mali, Ahongalu Fusimalohi of Tonga and Tunisian Slim Aloulou were also suspended for a combined total of 12 years.

Temarii's suspension will have ramifications for Australia when voting for 2018 and 2022 is tallied in Zurich on December 2.

Unlike our opposition, the US, South Korea, Japan and Qatar, Australia does not have a member on the executive committee so it was already starting from behind.

Given it was a former member of the OFC and still retains deep ties with the region, Australia had every right to consider Temarii would throw Oceania's vote behind it.

With Temarii and Adamu barred from taking part, the votes are down from 24 to 22, meaning it will need 12 votes to determine a clear winner for 2018 and 2022. As a result, every vote just became a little bit more valuable following the suspensions.

Not even Australia's staunchest supporter would believe that the country could get the 12 votes needed in the first ballot. If Australia is to win, it will likely be in the last ballot.

And that's where Temarii's vote was regarded as crucial.

Under FIFA's system, "for any voting round in which an absolute majority is not achieved, the bidder with the lowest number of votes will not progress to the next voting round".

The trick for Australia is to avoid being bottom of the group in the first round -- a task made more difficult without Oceania's vote.

The loss of Temarii's vote, however, is far from a knock-out blow as it is understood Australia can count on the first-round votes of the German, Russian, English, Cypriot and Turkish members.

That should leave either Japan or South Korea in the gun, more likely Japan. It will start to get complicated in the second round as those who voted for the eliminated nation must decide which country to switch allegiances to.

Muddying the waters is the fact Australia, Qatar, Japan and South Korea are all representing the Asian Football Confederation, whose boss Mohamed Bin Hammam is on the committee.

Bin Hammam has been an outspoken critic of The Sunday Times' sting and of suggestions that his country, Qatar, has allegedly colluded with other nations for vote swapping.

The ethics committee said it could not find any evidence of collusion on the part of any of the nine nations involved in the World Cup bidding process.

As one of the most powerful figures in Asian football, Bin Hammam holds considerable sway but the FIFA evaluation of Qatar's World Cup bid did the oil-rich nation no favours.

The climate and infrastructure present serious problems for FIFA while the fact 10 of the 12 stadiums are within a 25km radius is also a concern

The United States remains a firm favourite to win the rights to 2022 after receiving a favourable evaluation report. The US already has the stadia, while the evaluators said the biggest plus is the income for television and media rights.

However, with Frank Lowy at the helm, Australia has continually made progress and, importantly, has kept away from the mud slinging while avoiding any foot-in-the-mouth moments.

Australia will give the contest an almighty fight provided it can make it to the final ballot.

 

[midfielder]

Bid evaluation reports:- All Bidders...

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/bidders/organisation/documents/index.html


They make errrr good reading ...

 

[midfielder]

Rival codes ... Irk ... but she'll be right .. no worries mate , could just do the trock..

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/rival-codes-still-irk-fifa-but-we-remain-cup-contenders-20101120-181se.html

Rival codes still irk FIFA but we remain Cup contenders

Dan Silkstone

November 21, 2010


THE great hope of Australia's World Cup bid team - that it can surf to victory by avoiding the scandal and recrimination that has dogged the broader bid process - was fanned by FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday, but back at home, the AFL and NRL remained irritants.

Blatter issued muted praise for Australia's ''no worries'' bid during a press conference in Zurich, saying it would not be a negative that Australia was the only bidder not represented on the 22-member executive committee, given the vote-buying and vote-swapping scandals that have recently engulfed the body.

''I don't think so,'' he said. ''When you don't speak too much about a candidature, it means that it is a good one.''

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Blatter vowed to ''clean'' the bid process, which has been swamped by controversy, a rich irony for those who see the long-time president as hopelessly compromised on questions of ethics. As a first gesture FIFA released the full reports of its technical team's inspections of each bidder, only days after saying only summaries would be available.

Australia's report made good reading for bid leaders Ben Buckley and Frank Lowy, who received a mostly glowing endorsement.

One of few negatives was that AFL and NRL seasons would continue during an Australian World Cup.

''It is a FIFA requirement that no other major sporting event is hosted in the host city during the event period,'' the report says.

''The fact that the NRL rugby league season and the AFL Australian rules football seasons take place in Australia during the period from March to September could have an impact on the availability of resources and the public attention given to the World Cup.''

Significantly, the United States, the other bidding country with strong domestic sports, has attracted no such criticism.

Relations with other codes have been a difficult part of Australia's bid. Organisers have had to balance soothing rhetoric at home against FIFA's evangelical desire for expansion.

That continued on Friday. Australia's bid book, the report says, promises to ''make football the sport of choice in Australia and the Asia-Pacific''. It is not the sort of promise the likes of AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, or neutral sports fans with a passion for indigenous codes, are likely to enjoy reading.

The report also insists that broadcast times for an Australian tournament would adversely affect revenue and sponsorship money.

Australia has consistently said that the growth of Asian markets and economies will mean European TV ratings and sponsorship are less vital by the time the tournament is held but the report says such a shift, while under way, is ''unlikely by 2022''.

The report is generally glowing, one of the best received by any of the nine bidders for the two tournaments. In the 16 categories of risk assessed, Australia is identified as low risk 13 times and medium risk three times.

The United States, regarded as the favourite to land the tournament, is also glowingly reviewed, earning 13 low-risk ratings.

Qatar, by comparison, is assessed as low risk seven times, medium risk eight times and high risk in the team facilities category.

The release of the full report is a blow for the tiny emirate, which is believed to have collected as many as eight votes via an alliance with the 2018 Spain-Portugal bid but has been revealed as a risky option because of its size and climate.

The report says Qatar has an average midday temperature in July of 40.5 degrees and would require venues to be airconditioned at a scale that has never before been attempted.

Much of the Qatar bid is built on big promises and deep pockets. Its report makes plain that of 64 team accommodation bases put forward, 54 do not yet exist. Qatar also plans to double the number of its hotel rooms to cater for spectators.

Australia's technical report says ''fan-fest'' sites would be placed in Darwin and Hobart as well as in each host city and that a national indigenous festival would run during the tournament. The draw for the World Cup would most likely be held at the Sydney Opera House, it says.

The report finds that none of Australia's stadiums meets FIFA's space requirements for media, officials and other groups. It also reveals that FIFA would be based in Southern Cross Tower in Bourke Street, Melbourne, and officials would fully occupy the nearby Hyatt Hotel.

FIFA will vote to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on December 2.

 

[midfielder]

I hope Frank is right..

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/cup-bid-is-vital-for-nation-20101120-1820e.html

Cup bid is vital for nation

Michael Cockerill

November 21, 2010

OF THE five nations bidding for the 2022 World Cup no one needs it more than Australia. It will not save the game here but it will change it. Perhaps forever. The great strength of Frank Lowy's argument is the comparative weakness of the game in one of the few parts of the world where it does not dominate.

FIFA may be a commercial juggernaut, and the US may be able to bring the sort of money to the table that Australia can only dream about, but it is not only about dollars and cents. FIFA, for all its hard-headedness, retains an altruistic streak. The chance to give football a leg-up against rival codes will weigh heavily on the minds of the 22 executives who will vote in Zurich on December 2. FIFA knows Australia will put on a spectacular World Cup; the issue is whether we deserve it.

Lowy is quietly confident at least 12 executive members think we do.


What is not in doubt is the fact that winning the World Cup vote will provide football with an unprecedented opportunity to stand on its own two feet. Some thought that had come in 1965, when the Socceroos entered the qualifying rounds of the World Cup for the first time. Others thought it had come in 1973, when Jimmy Mackay's piledriver in Hong Kong qualified Australia for the World Cup for the first time. There was hope the seminal moment had arrived in 1977, when football officials buried their differences to establish Australia's first national competition.

More recently, there was John Aloisi's penalty against Uruguay in 2005, and Australia's entry into the booming Asian Football Confederation in 2006.

Important as all these moments were, they could not fundamentally break the boom-bust cycle which has plagued the game throughout its 130-year history in Australia. But hosting the World Cup - with the priceless advantage of a 12-year lead-in - can.

 

[midfielder]

As I said earlier it must be getting close...a number of articles out today..

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/the-world-in-our-hands-20101120-181v3.html

The world in our hands

Tom Reilly

November 21, 2010

HE global stage, there is no bigger party. Thirty-two nations competing, hundreds of thousands of fans flocking in from overseas and the most sought-after prize in sport: football's World Cup.

In just 11 days, Australia will hear the decision announced in Zurich, Switzerland, whether it has won the right to host the month-long football festival in 2022.

It is hardly surprising the bid has unanimous political support – the exposure Australia would receive from hosting the Cup would dwarf the attention it received from the Sydney Olympics.

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The cumulative television viewing figures for those Games were estimated at 3.6 billion, compared with more than 40 billion for this year's World Cup in South Africa.

Football Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley said a 2008 analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research forecast economic benefits including $5.3 billion in gross domestic product, the creation of 74,000 full-time jobs and $1.5 billion in net tax revenue.

The research was supported by economic modelling by IBISWorld claiming a World Cup in Australia would bring $35.56 billion in spending, four times more than during the 2000 Olympics.

Ian MacGowan, senior analyst at IBISWorld, said Australians might not appreciate the size of the World Cup.

"As an event, it is far, far bigger than the Olympics and a lot of people here probably don't realise that, as we've got such a strong history with the Olympic movement," he said.

Regional centres would benefit, as games would be played in 10 cities, including Newcastle, Geelong and Townsville. It is predicted about 500,000 visitors would come for the event, compared with 130,000 at the 2000 Olympics.

Three new stadiums would be built and nine others upgraded, providing a $2.8 billion infrastructure legacy for other sports.

But not everyone is so positive. Economist Richard Tomlinson, of the University of Melbourne, said: "I've no idea what the benefits would be of Australia hosting the World Cup, though it's clear the financial costs would be huge."

South Korea, Japan, the US and Qatar are vying with Australia to hold the tournament in 12 years.

Yesterday, FIFA boss Sepp Blatter praised Australia's bid for the World Cup, suggesting the lack of controversy surrounding it was a strength.

Mr Blatter said Australia's lack of representation on the FIFA executive committee was unlikely to harm its chances. Oceania boss Reynald Temarii was banned this week from voting because of allegations of bribery.

 

[midfielder]

Lucas ... well said mate... and as I said heaps coming out today..and as Lucas says no room for small minds..

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/no-room-for-small-minds-in-vision-of-hosting-cup-neill-20101120-181sh.html


No room for small minds in vision of hosting Cup

Daniel Lane

November 21, 2010

SOCCEROOS captain Lucas Neill believes the AFL is either worried or naive by not bending on scheduling or venues should Australia be granted the right to host the World Cup.

The host nation for 2018 will be announced on December 2 and Neill desperately hopes the dream of Football Federation Australia's boss Frank Lowy for Australia to stage the tournament will be realised.

"It'd be spectacular," he said. "[Former national cricket captain] Steve Waugh said the other day this was not just about Australian football but it was about Australia and that hosting the biggest sporting event in the world was a collective thing, a team effort."

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However, a stumbling block has been the fact Australia's major stadiums are shared by all codes and the AFL has said it would not allow its season to be disrupted for eight weeks by surrendering Etihad Stadium.

"It's either a front because they're worried or they're naive to think the World Cup won't swallow up the profile of everything that's happening at the time," Neill told The Sun-Herald.

"If you were to ask me whether I wanted to go to see the World Cup or attend my local AFL game, there'd be no prize for guessing what I'd see. I think it'd be quite irresponsible for other codes not to embrace the World Cup tournament. They should want to learn from it. It's a great spectacle and they'll see how [FIFA] draws crowds, how to make sport an event … it's an opportunity [for all sports officials] to gain an even greater level of education.''

Neill, who has long been an ambassador for Australia's enormous capacity to embrace diversity in everything from people, food, sporting tastes and even change, said he was concerned to think there could be any philosophical problem about hosting football's crown jewel.

"I think we have to be careful as a country to not be rigid - we have to remain open-minded," he said. "Australia is made up of so many races - it's amazing we've had so few problems - and it should be the same with sport."

Neill said any Australian who doubted the benefits of the nation hosting the FIFA World Cup ought to consider the many benefits.

"It would be one of the greatest things to ever happen to our country," he said. "Anyone who has been to a World Cup tournament will speak of the preparation and the excitement of it, the smiles it puts on people's faces and the sense of general optimism it brings.

"There are huge economic and tourism benefits and on the sports front; whether you play or support rugby league, football or Australian rules, your facilities will improve. More people will sit on the seats; more people will see where you live and where you grew up.

"It will also help to educate those [Australians] who might be focused on just the one sport to appreciate the world is a really big place.''

 

[midfielder]

Just could not find the evidence...HHHHHHMMMMMMMM

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/blatter-collusion-during-bids-is-inevitable-20101120-1822p.html

Blatter: collusion during bids is 'inevitable

Paul Kelso


November 21, 2010

SEPP BLATTER fuelled lingering suspicions of a vote-trading deal between England's World Cup rivals, Spain-Portugal and Qatar, on Friday after he admitted an investigation into collusion was dropped because of a lack of evidence.

Suspicions that a deal between the Qatar and Iberian bids - worth up to seven votes - remain among their rivals and some executive committee members, despite the FIFA ethics committee dropping the case earlier this week.

Blatter said the two bids had not been completely cleared of suspicion by the committee, but conceded discussions between voters with bids in the race was inevitable.

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''We have eight members of the executive committee who [have bids] in the European [2018] bidding or 2022 bidding, and therefore it is obvious that these people speak together,'' he said.

''Collusion you cannot avoid, but if in this collusion there is something wrong then naturally somebody should intervene. But [while] the ethics committee said they had not got enough evidence [against Spain-Portugal and Qatar], they haven't said it is 'blanco' [entirely clean].''

Blatter's comments will ensure questions over the 2018 and 2022 campaign linger until the final vote on December 2. They came as he tried to draw a line under the allegations that have clouded the race.

He said he had warned executive committee members on Friday the eyes of the world would be on them at the vote and asked them to ensure the vote was clean.

Speaking for the first time since executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii were banned, Blatter said England's bid would not be damaged by a backlash against the British media's role in exposing them. He also repeated criticism of the The Sunday Times in the exposing corruption allegations.

Telegraph, London

 

[midfielder]

From AAP press release ... sure to raise a few eyebrows..

http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/11/21/nrl-afl-seasons-could-hurt-world-cup-bid/

By AFP

Today ie 21 November

NRL, AFL seasons could hurt 2022 World Cup bid


Australia’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup may be hindered by the NRL and AFL seasons as well as the celebration of the Queen’s Birthday in June, FIFA has indicated in its evaluation report.

Wimbledon has been earmarked as a potential problem for England’s bid to host the 2018 finals, which like the AFL and NRL campaigns, would take place during the tournament.

“It is a FIFA requirement that no other major sporting event is hosted in a host city during the period and the fact that the Wimbledon tennis championships take place in London during late June/early July could have an impact on the public attention given to the FIFA World Cup,” the evaluation report said.

FIFA’s evaluation of Australia signalled a clash with the NRL and AFL campaigns, which run from March to September, which it said could affect both public attention and available resources, as would the Queen’s Birthday.

“The Queen’s Birthday is celebrated on the second Monday of June and is marked by a public holiday in the majority of states which could have some impact in the host cities during the tournament,” the report remarked.

The report on England did not mention Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday, which does not correspond to the actual date of April 21 and is traditionally set for a Saturday in June in Britain.

Future dates for football’s month-long showpiece event have not been set but they have typically straddled June into July when it has been hosted by European countries.

Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tennis tournament, has been staged since 1877 over a two-week period in late June and early July.

FIFA’s technical evaluation team found that England’s stadiums exceeded minimum requirements and highlighted the country’s experience with hosting international sports events as well as transport links.

However, they raised technical questions about the readiness of training sites and contractual issues over accommodation.

Australian generally benefitted from a strong evaluation including on its stadiums.

Questions were raised over the distance between Australian venues and the reliance on air transport, as well as the risk of a loss in TV income from Europe and the Americas because of the time difference.

England, Russia and joint bids by Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium are in the running to host the 2018 World Cup.

Australia, the United States, Japan, Qatar and South Korea are bidding for the 2022 event.

The hosts of both tournaments will be chosen simultaneously by FIFA’s executive committee in Zurich on December 2.

 

[midfielder]

Time is ticking the bookies have us as second ..


http://www.sportingbet.com.au/Default.aspx#&&s=Sports-Special+Events-2022+FIFA+World+Cup+Host+-1889561


USA: $1.70
Australia: $2.80
Qatar: $6.00
Japan and or Korea: $12.00


Wonder is it worth a bet...