[Archived] 2018/22 World Cup bids

[Amo]

Hope this cheers everyone up a bit.....

Hope it ####ing hurt!

I laugh how people think this happened last night, when it's an old video.

[Stuart]

The fuss about this thing is farcical.

What matters more is whether you have a team capable of winning it...or even qualifying.

What matters more is also the quality of the football you see every week.

It doesn't matter if the finals are in Russia or Qatar if your local game is crap.

And that's the way it is heading for England - as it did for Scotland a few years back.

THAT is what time and money should be spent on.

Finding and developing better players should be THE priorities not clowning around trying to win votes from bent organisations...you already have Eurovision for that kind of humiliation anyway.

One and only comment on the subject.

Good night.

Spoken like a bitter Scot

[Drummer Boy]

I actually couldn't care less about the failed bid preferring to live in a country where the media are free to investigate organisational (mal)practice but not considered fit to host the biggest sporting event of the world's biggest sport. This sometimes irritates the pants off me but freedom of speech is much more important than hosting a 4-week jamboree.

I did take exception at our future king having to brown-nose his way through a collection of vagabond delegates and would argue that we should not put such priority on a sporting event as to present our future head of state up for such humiliation. It is, after all, only a game and the level of importance attached to its participants and organisers is nothing short of sick.

What has changed since two days ago? Not a lot - given the choice, I'd still take Rovers winning the Champions League before England winning the world cup - in fact its probably more likely!

Also, I am slightly relieved that we won't have the incessant hype of the 2018 England world cup being the cure for all our ills and riding roughshod over the fabric of the game in the pursuit of some twisted version of the "interests of the game" as defined by the FA - an organisation nearly as inept as FIFA.

What else won't I miss?

Officially sponsored Maltesers at £5 per bag

Coca-Cola at £5 a 500ml bottle - drink coke, love football - what tosh!

Empty seats at £250 each with proper football fans watching on telly at home as they can't afford it

The nauseating jingoism each time England play that gets more and more like "Swing low sweet chariot" with each international - a ritual rather than genuine patriotism

The mindless booing of our team if we're not 4-0 up by half-time as if we have a right to win - by so-called fans who are actually event attenders rather than football supporters

Being lectured at about any behaviour that does not conform to the stereotype determined by the organisers as appropriate

Sky TV's coverage being even more anal and hyperbolic than usual

Endless "crowd shots" of children crying because a team lost a game of football (shame on their parents), scantily clad latin beauties (might change my mind on this one) and whatever other cliches the broadcasters choose to throw at us in their own competition to see who can be most patronising.

Maybe now the FA will concentrate on the long-term malaise of the quality of the domestic game as witnessed by their representatives abysmal showing in South Africa instead of looking for sticking plaster solutions

Rant over ....... it's a while since I visited - you'll probably be glad of that!!

[tony gale's mic]

Yeah, having a festival of football with fans from all around the world gathering upon our country to watch the world's best battle it out really would be rubbish, wouldn't it?

[ultrablue]

Yeah, having a festival of football with fans from all around the world gathering upon our country to watch the world's best battle it out really would be rubbish, wouldn't it?

you know it happens every four years. go enjoy it upon rio, rather than upon milton keynes

[tony gale's mic]

you know it happens every four years. go enjoy it upon rio, rather than upon milton keynes

I'll be flying out to Rio in 4 years' time.

But having the WC in your own country is a completely different experience.

I forgot what hotbeds of football the likes of Lusail, Qatar (not even a real city yet, but the venue for the 2022 final) and Saransk, Russia will be.

[Mr. E]

All the insane reactions I keep reading on BBC and Sky Sports from supposedly respected figures are making the English look absolutely pathetic...people are acting as if half the country has been bombed. Stop it.

[Stuart]

Drummer Boy - most of the things you list happen every time England play at a World Cup, regardless of where it's held!

[Drummer Boy]

Drummer Boy - most of the things you list happen every time England play at a World Cup, regardless of where it's held!

Yeah, I know - so we don't have to host the World Cup to be thoroughly exploited do we?

And I still prefer to be able to read/watch an article about corruption without wondering if the journalist will get something put in his tea to hosting what TGM points out is a global fest - don't get me wrong, it would be good to host it but its not the end of the world if we don't and now the FA has the chance to sort out our game and not be distracted by this metaphorical sticking plaster

[AggyBlue]

All the insane reactions I keep reading on BBC and Sky Sports from supposedly respected figures are making the English look absolutely pathetic...people are acting as if half the country has been bombed. Stop it.

Rejecting our bid because of the media in this country is pathetic, not peoples reaction to it.

I'd love to see us pull out of FIFA (I know it will never happen but it's a dream of mine).

FIFA have completely ruined the game IMO with their constant meddling with the rules.

[cletus]

I laugh how people think this happened last night, when it's an old video.

Who`s said it happened last night?

[Amo]

Who`s said it happened last night?

Just look at some of the comments:

Wow that makes up for the some of the of the b******* that went on.

pay back for screwing England over the 2018 bid, corrupt b*****d

[Stuart]

Yeah, I know - so we don't have to host the World Cup to be thoroughly exploited do we?

And I still prefer to be able to read/watch an article about corruption without wondering if the journalist will get something put in his tea to hosting what TGM points out is a global fest - don't get me wrong, it would be good to host it but its not the end of the world if we don't and now the FA has the chance to sort out our game and not be distracted by this metaphorical sticking plaster

Agree it's not the end if the world but I don't think either of us is old enough to remember '66 so it would have been nice to have had one World Cup in my home country.

Meanwhile...

Here's a nice summary of the timeline of event leading up to our being stabbed in the back. From today's Independent:

How England's bid unravelled in 24 hours of double-dealing

[Drummer Boy]

Agree it's not the end if the world but I don't think either of us is old enough to remember '66 so it would have been nice to have had one World Cup in my home country.

Meanwhile...

Here's a nice summary of the timeline of event leading up to our being stabbed in the back. From today's Independent:

How England's bid unravelled in 24 hours of double-dealing

An interesting sequence of events that says more about FIFA than any of the bids - can't see Sepp Blatter being welcome here for some time. As I said before, now is the best chance in a generation to recalibrate the domestic game so that the national team is competitive and the premier league does not call the shots - I wonder if anyone has the baubles to set about such a task?

Maybe the focus on the sport rather than the circus around it will be a tonic for us all - I'm quite looking forward to seeing if anything is done and how it is reported as it is a much better prospect than continuing "as is" which would have been an inevitable outcome had our bid been successful. Here's to features on Phil Jones and his philosophy on how to play the game rather than Ashley Cole's squalid private life.

[FourLaneBlue]

Beckenbauer is very influential within Fifa and he has been lobbying for Russia and against England.

And that was after we agreed to back Germany for 2006.

If you want to point the finger of blame point it at the Germans.

Didn't we agree to back them in 2006 before going back on our word and campaigning against them?

[FourLaneBlue]

qater? cant even spell it, apart from blue n white rover,who can name a town,team or a qaternese/ish/golian player ...and they said the gulf war was about oil money.

Apparently, when Sebb Blatter was asked who his favourite Qatar player was, he replied "Eric Clapton"...

[American]

I'm wondering how likely it will be that Brazil will be unable to host the World Cup in 2014? Apparently they are hopelessly behind schedule and struggling financially, much like Colombia were in 1982/3 before the tournament went to Mexico (because they were on the same continent and had the infrastructure in place after hosting the tournament 12 years previously).

I guess the United States would be the leading contender in such a scenario, but I would love to see Fifa come crawling to the FA with their begging bowls (an unlikely scenario granted), pleading them to host the 2014 tournament. They did say England and the USA could potentially host a tournament tomorrow so I guess they'd be the two main candidates.

They were saying the same things about South Africa. Brazil has 2 major events to hold and with the burgeoning economy, I don't think there will be many issues.

[FourLaneBlue]

I'm personally not too bothered about England not having got it. We all knew that FIFA is a ridiculously corrupt organisation and it is all one big sham.

What I am more annoyed with is the sight of all the arse-kissing and fawning that the bid team did.

[FourLaneBlue]

I'm wondering how likely it will be that Brazil will be unable to host the World Cup in 2014? Apparently they are hopelessly behind schedule and struggling financially, much like Colombia were in 1982/3 before the tournament went to Mexico (because they were on the same continent and had the infrastructure in place after hosting the tournament 12 years previously).

I guess the United States would be the leading contender in such a scenario, but I would love to see Fifa come crawling to the FA with their begging bowls (an unlikely scenario granted), pleading them to host the 2014 tournament. They did say England and the USA could potentially host a tournament tomorrow so I guess they'd be the two main candidates.

I think the information you have there is far too negative. There is next to no chance that Brazil will be anything less than a huge success. This is a country that is starting to flex its muscles on the world stage. The World Cup will happen and will be a roaring success. Brazil is already a regional superpower, and will be a world player in the not-too-distant future, if it isn't already. Predicted growth rates, even during a time of world recession, have remained enough for most of the rest of the world to cast glances enviously.

The analogy with Colombia does not work either. In the 80s, Colombia was essentially a failed state. It was in a state of civil war, and that is not even taking into account the rise of the cocaine dealers who would soon hold the nation to ransom. Colombia would be in a far stronger position today to host the World Cup than it ever was in the 80s. Brazil is in a stronger postion than Colombia is, and the problems in Rio will no doubt be solved with plenty of time to spare.

[philipl]

FIFA has gone for three relatively high risk locations in succession but unlike the Euros in Poland/Ukraine, I don't think there is any serious risk in any of them short of global catastrophes.

[Bobby G]

Russia and Qatar being the top two richest countries in natural resources in the world will ensure that everything will be done on time and handled properly.

[philipl]

This Telegraph article makes many good points.

[SAS]

Russia and Qatar being the top two richest countries in natural resources in the world will ensure that everything will be done on time and handled properly.

Looking forward though, how will a muslim country deal with ###### up fans wearing just shorts. It goes against everything in their culture.

[philipl]

Looking forward though, how will a muslim country deal with ###### up fans wearing just shorts. It goes against everything in their culture.

The authorities won't need to do anything- they will get fried in under 20 minutes if they go out dressed like that!

Telegraph on England being too honest.

[SAS]

Just reading more into Qatar.

Alcohol is banned in public.

The country is ruled by sharia law.

The country is tier 3 for human rights. Which means it does not satisfy nor make enough effort to come into line.

It has no rail network( although there are plans to create one)

Only way to travel is by car or bus.

It has bid for the 2016 summer olympics.