Wed 19 Jun 2013 | 
Australia's World Cup bid: sugar, tea, & the truth
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Enlarge textIt seems the goalposts have moved and not all bidders are invited to FIFA's 2018 party, writes Matthew Hall.
Football Federation Australia Chairman Frank Lowy says the furore over 2018 World Cup bids is all a "storm in a tea cup" [GETTY]
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And so it begins.
Actually, behind-the-scenes horse-trading over the destination of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups has been in play for some time now.
This week, however, Britain's Daily Telegraph stepped up a few gears with an extraordinary story.
According to the newspaper:
"FIFA president Sepp Blatter and senior executives have opened negotiations with the non-European candidates for 2018, hoping to persuade them to withdraw voluntarily from the race and focus on the 2022 tournament.
"Multiple sources have since confirmed to Telegraph Sport that FIFA has held informal discussions with the United States, Australian and Japanese bids. Officially all three are still chasing both tournaments, but there is growing consensus among the bids that they will agree to FIFA's request. 'This is absolutely where it will end up in the next couple of months' said one source."
This development, should it prove true, confirms comments made by Blatter late last month at a press conference in Madrid.
"There is a movement at the moment among the various candidates that in the end it would be a good solution... if the candidates for 2018 would only be those from Europe," Blatter said.
Football Federation Australia claimed at the time that Blatter's comments did not come as a surprise and that Australia was still bidding for 2018.
A media blitz by FFA Chairman Frank Lowy after Blatter's comments attempted to douse fires that had began burning at home.
"Nothing has changed, I think there was a storm in a teacup," Lowy said in an interview with SBS's The World Game TV program.
Lowy added: "[Blatter] didn't say what his position was, he simply said that there is a movement [in Europe] that wants to have the World Cup in 2018, and this is a fact. It's blatantly clear what they [European nations] want, but will they get it? It will depend on who votes for them.
"They can't exclude us, they can't exclude the United States, they can't exclude Japan, we have made a legitimate bid, you can't change the goal posts in the middle of the game."
The Telegraph report suggests the goal posts can be changed, that FIFA is quietly telling Australia as much, and FFA is aware of exactly what is going on.
The Australian governing body however is currently saying it is not commenting on the bid "at present" and has tightened up on providing information to the public about the bid's progress.
This despite $45 million of public money funding the bid.
Perhaps Australia really has been caught short.
Perhaps nothing has changed and 2018 is a tactical red herring in the real fight for 2022.
Perhaps it is just a "storm in a tea cup".
In which case, you might want some sugar with that.
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Comments (10)
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30 Mar 2010 0:44 AEST
From: Fitzroy
opinion
Please!Please!Please arsenal and Barcelona pass by sbs one because we didn't have digital tv or sbs tow because this is important game please please please
15 Feb 2010 18:34 AEST
From: Tasmania
Taxpayers money
You can't help but get the feeling that the taxpayers are not getting the whole truth about what's going on with this bid. First, Buckley and Lowy said two different things on two different days about this issue. Then Lowy does his media blitz as Matthew said, obviously trying to calm things down. Now we get this from the Daily Telegraph in London. So which is it? This bid is veiled in secrecy and I don't think it's good enough when using taxpayers money.
15 Feb 2010 17:27 AEST
From: Canberra
2018 or 2022
What it shows is that Lowy and FFA are happy to fudge the truth when it suits them. They are being less that upfront about this but the Rudd Government doesn't seem to care that there's a lack of transparency or accountability about the taxpayers money used in the bid. It makes you wonder what else they're not being upfront about. It's high stakes for Lowy, Buckley and FFA. They should get 2022 easily. If they don't, they will discredit themselves, their organisation and our game.
15 Feb 2010 17:10 AEST
From: kogarah
China 2026?
Never mind 2018 or 2022. Focus on 2026. Why would FIFA want to cut out China for 2026 by giving 2022 to Australia or any other bidding nation from Asia? US is the gold mine FIFA needs for 2022 and China woud be the gold mine from Asia for 2026. It is not too late to trim FFA egos and overseas consultants and use what we can of the $45m into football development where it really makes a difference. Success on the park will determine the prosperity of the game. Ask Rugby what longterm participation and commercial benefit they got out of their World Cup circus.
13 Feb 2010 13:54 AEST
From: Collingwood
Mister Football
Hey Mister Football, why don't you go the same way as your last Roar article and disappear. We don't feed you anymore troll!
12 Feb 2010 9:18 AEST
From: Melbourne
Misleading Australian taxpayers
Yes - of course it was obvious from day one that 2018 would go to Europe - but Lowy, the FFA and our own Government have been telling Australian taxpayers otherwise.
12 Feb 2010 2:12 AEST
From: Germany
Sugar, tea and the truth
From the very beginning the bid for 2018 was always a tactical step for 2022. Now the FFA have to work out the best deal that dropping out of the 2018 race would give for Australia
11 Feb 2010 17:46 AEST
From: Perth
Brit and Oz
Wouldn't 2018-Britain, and 2022 Australia be too Englishy?I'm liking the Belg-Neth bid for 2018. Australia can no longer play the have it in the Southern Hemisphere tilt, but really only has the first time in Oceania, but we don't rep. there anymore. We can only bid on the fact that we can put on an impeccable world sport event with no probs, enough said.
11 Feb 2010 14:01 AEST
From: Lambert Park
BOO HOO MR LOWY
..... like when FFA moved the goalposts on bidders for the 12th A-League licence ? It's called "karma" Frank
11 Feb 2010 13:32 AEST
From: Brisbane
Surprised?
Is anyone really surprised by this though? Surely anyone who knows how FIFA carve things up would have known all along that 2018 would be in Europe with the rest of the world fighting it out for 2022? I thought it would have all been done behind closed doors and no comment made on it, but then no big shock that Sepp Blatter opened his big bog without engaging his brain (again).
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About this Blog
Sport, without spin, from around the world. Matthew Hall considers the issues behind the headlines and tells the stories that others don't.
Matthew Hall Sport, without spin, from around the world. Matthew Hall considers the issues behind the headlines and tells the stories that others don't. Matt is a writer, author, and filmmaker, originally from Perth, he now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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