[Archived] 2018/22 World Cup bids

[Bobby G]

The media is very influential in England. No denying it. We could have been owned by a different person had the media not been. For better or for worse. This is the truth.

[philipl]

I noticed when Russia got their certificate for presenting Blatter said I cannot award the World Cup yet.

[Paul]

Am I one of the few who are not bothered about the World Cup coming to Blighty?

No I'm with you as well.

[Bobby G]

QATAR WINS...

[philipl]

,,, and Qatar for 2022

[yoda]

Russia

Its the media no question about it. Your bid was good enough to at least make it past the first round of voting. If you cant see that, then Im sorry. That doesnt mean you were going to host it, but you can be sure that you had a better chance if the last couple of weeks didnt happen.

You mean keep quiet and play the same game, Panorama should now do a follow up and really expose the coruption FIFA need England and the EPL more than England and the EPL need FIFA

[MarkBRFC71]

So it goes to Blatter's favourite, and a corrupt and mafia-run country with several technical failings and high risks in the official reports. I guess Putin didn't turn up because he already knew they'd won?

Wonder how much the BBC expose had to do with us losing? Did we get penalised for alleging corruption?

Next time we can apply is 2030 - think it's a disgrace that if successful the motherland of modern football will have had to wait 64 years - a lifetime - to host the World Cup.

Part of me wants our gutter press to go after FIFA and Blatter now, but in reality that will probably harm our chances for ever.

[M-K]

They have football stadiums in Qatar?

[adopted scouser]

let's play footy in the third world. Can you make pies out of cabbage ?

[niggit]

They have football stadiums in Qatar?

Stidiums

[only2garners]

why? Don't blame the messenger, it is the FIFA organisation that needs to account for itself

I agree. Whilst I'm not particularly patriotic I am proud to live in a country with a media free to expose corruption as the BBC have done. That's much more important to me than a few extra games of football.

[Oklahoma]

Russia and Qatar... Blatter just anounced the 2026 World Cup in Madagascar!

[philipl]

let's play footy in the third world. Can you make pies out of cabbage ?

Qatar is lots of things but third world it most definitely is not.

[yoda]

let's play footy in the third world. Can you make pies out of cabbage ?

Sauerkraut pie maybe!

[Ricky]

Russian Deputy PM messing up an otherwise very good bid presentation- nice one!

And after that post I know where I should have put my money ;o)

[niggit]

Sure they said Qatar and not Germany.

[joey_big_nose]

The timing was a deliberate attempt to derail the bid and they have succeeded.

That doesn't stack up for me. They might have been looking for maximum impact, but it is of no interest to the BBC - who would have made a fortune from the tounament I would imagine - to damage England's chances.

If we have been punished for the media it shows that FIFA is corrupt and childish which is a shame.

ps. The Murdoch Papers are going to really go after the Beeb tomorrow. The BBC is going to be punished for doing some honest journalism. Great stuff.

[adopted scouser]

I meant Russia Phil, jesus. Couldn't spell borscht

[Oklahoma]

People, the press had no influence in it.

Both countries that won have a LOT OF MONEY and Fifa will use the "let's bring football to new places" slogan to lie to everyone.

[yoda]

People, the press had no influence in it.

Both countries that won have a LOT OF MONEY and Fifa will use the "let's bring football to new places" slogan to lie to everyone.

and new houses to a few places

[M-K]

Stidiums

So they have six stadiums with 20k+ capacity.

Wikipedia says the 6th largest city in Qatar has a population of 9,870.

[BuckyRover]

In retrospect I think the timing of the BBC report was good. It spells everything out clearly.

A few facts:

Putin didn't turn up. Why?

Qatar was described as high risk in the FIFA report yet they are now deemed the best bid. Why?

Come on BBC. Take FIFA down.

[CrazyIvan]

It'll be at least another 20 years before we could possibly host the world cup. That means 64 years + between the last time the 'motherland' of football hosted the world cup and the next time. 64 years. That is quite literally a lifetime.

The BBC has produced a programme on TV about corruption within FIFA. They could have chosen to make this expose at any point between the last round of voting for the last time and this yet they wait until DAYS before the voting for the 2018 World Cup is due. Coincidence? If you believe the rumours and the alleged whistle-blowers, corruption around World Cup votes has been around for a long time and involves a hell of a lot of money. You can find the websites that will tell you all about it and how it all works. They've been around a long time too. The BBC may well have cost a generation the chance to see the World Cup on their doorstep but the truth is nobody knows that and nobody can ever say for certain. What is fairly certain is that they have quite spectacularly blown any chance, even the slightest, we had by showing that programme days before the vote. While I hope very much that all corruption within FIFA and any other footballing organisation is brought to light, and I hope the BBC does a complete story next time, timing, as they say, is everything.

[Alex Rover]

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, and can be punished by imprisonment or 90 lashes. Nice.

[speeeeeeedie]

The timing was a deliberate attempt to derail the bid and they have succeeded.

I don't think it was. It was the English media doing what it does best; hurting their own. Watch the mud really start flying now.

Russia and Qatar sound imaginative, but there's no way they have the infrastructure and capabilities greater than England and the USA. The executive committee need sacking if they voted based on allegations against them rather than the bids themselves.