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2022 FIFA bid not dead yet: Lowy

Goddo

Bench
Messages
4,257
FRESH from being re-elected for a new four-year term, Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy has boldly declared Australia's bid for the 2022 World Cup is not over yet.

Humiliated with just one vote from the FIFA executive committee in Zurich almost a year ago, Lowy has bounced back from a recent health scare to insist the controversial decision to award the 2022 tournament to Qatar is not a certainty.

While Lowy wouldn't reveal the reasons for his claim that a re-vote might be held, it's clear the life ban from all football activities of Asian Football Confederation boss Mohamed bin Hammam over bribery allegations is a significant factor.

Bin Hammam, a Qatari, has always distanced himself from the World Cup bid, but such is the shifting nature of FIFA politics it's not inconceivable his country could be penalised in the fallout.

Quizzed on whether the FFA was in the market for secondary FIFA events to make up for missing out on the 2022 World Cup, Lowy gave a startling response to a round table of journalists, saying: "You mention the World Cup — I don't know if you recall when I came back from that fateful day, I said 'this is not the last word about awarding the World Cup'. It wasn't the last word, and the last word hasn't been heard yet. You can read anything into that you want. Don't ask me to elaborate because I don't have a crystal ball, but I do know there are a lot of discussions.

"The media all over the world is talking about that. I don't know where it will bounce, all I know is it's not over yet."

On the initial question, Lowy added the FFA would not bid for any second-tier FIFA events, such as the Club World Cup or World Youth Cup, until after it had hosted the 2015 Asian Cup.

"We will not be seeking, we will not be chasing, any other events in that time," Lowy said.

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley reiterated that hosting Asia's showpiece event, which will be bankrolled by $61 million in public money and will be held in up to six cities along the eastern seaboard, was the organisation's priority.

"That's where our focus and efforts will be applied," Buckley said. "That's what we look at as the major international event. We need to do a fantastic job to deliver on that, rather than chasing second-tier [FIFA] events."

Australia missed out on hosting the 2022 World Cup despite more than two years of frantic lobbying by Lowy and Buckley, obtaining just a single vote when FIFA's executive committee met last December.

Both Lowy and Buckley faced calls to depart the sport after the bid's ignominious failure but — 12 months on — both appear to be entrenched.

A cashed-up Qatari bid prevailed in the controversial voting process but has suffered politically since, as bin Hammam lost out in a power struggle with FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter and was hit with corruption charges.

Qatar has also faced questioning over its suitability to host the event during the emirate's scorching summer, despite a costly plan to aircondition venues. Many in Europe have campaigned for the tournament to be moved to a more temperate time, earlier in the year.

If the 2022 tournament were to be stripped from Qatar, Australia would likely face strong competition from other potential hosts, including the US, which was also defeated in the voting for the World Cup.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/socc...ad-yet-lowy-20111128-1o35p.html#ixzz1f4BrmecJ
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
14,270
I think Frank forgets we were first out and way behind the USA in any event...

Hope he funds any further bid from his own pocket this time...

Why would taxpayers money be spent on this corrupt process at any time in the future?
 

Goddo

Bench
Messages
4,257
Yeah, I think Qatar will have the 2022 event stripped off them - it just isn't feasable to hold it in a desert country of a little over 1.6M people (only 300,000 are citizens, the rest second class foreigners), about 5 times the size of the ACT in population and land.

But Frank is spitting the dummy big time if he thinks Australia will get it - our bid sucked, partly because the AFL held FFA to randsom, the stadiums were unsatisfactory and our timezone.

Give it to USA.
 
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beave

Coach
Messages
15,527
I spent 4 months in Qatar, unless there has been signifigant changes in the last few years, then the event will be a total disaster. The joint is an utter shithole.
 

jc155776

Coach
Messages
13,208
The biggest laugh is Qatar are already backing away from the air conditioned stadium pledge already.

The technology struggled to cope with air conditioning a small 6 a side indoor stadium with noone in it.

Imagine a fill stadium with 70k fans....

I could live with the USA getting it, but the process would be restarted as many who voted for Qatar may have wished to change to Australia.

That said anyone voting for Qatar was a corrupt dog.
 

skeepe

Immortal
Messages
45,582
I think Frank forgets we were first out and way behind the USA in any event...

Hope he funds any further bid from his own pocket this time...

Why would taxpayers money be spent on this corrupt process at any time in the future?

I think the entire voting process, from start to finish, needs to be questioned.

Qatari news organisations were reporting that they had won a long time before the decision was announced ffs.

I believe a vote that did not involve a Qatari bid would have produced a drastically different first round result.
 

E.T.D

Juniors
Messages
103
We were humiliated 12 months ago only getting one vote during the bidding process. How can the FFA be so forgiving and even consider throwing their hat in the ring again if Qatar's successful bid goes pear shaped.

Lowy must have an extremely high tolerance for pain.
 
Messages
13,776
Would love to see it go to the USA, if we can't have it. Would be an awesome holiday. Qatar on the other hand, I wouldn't bother going.
 

BunniesMan

Immortal
Messages
33,687
Can't wait to go to Brazil in 2014 (32 days of Football and chicks in g-strings on the beach) but asif I or anyone in their right mind is going to Russia and Qatar. Russia - too cold. Qatar - way too effing hot. If Qatar loses it and USA gets it I'd go.

It would have been an epic twelve years if it was Brazil-England-USA.
 

Big Sam

First Grade
Messages
8,976
Can't wait to go to Brazil in 2014 (32 days of Football and chicks in g-strings on the beach) but asif I or anyone in their right mind is going to Russia and Qatar. Russia - too cold. Qatar - way too effing hot. If Qatar loses it and USA gets it I'd go.

You do know that June/July is summer in the Northern Hemisphere right?
 

langpark

First Grade
Messages
5,867
Can't wait to go to Brazil in 2014 (32 days of Football and chicks in g-strings on the beach) but asif I or anyone in their right mind is going to Russia and Qatar. Russia - too cold. Qatar - way too effing hot. If Qatar loses it and USA gets it I'd go.

It would have been an epic twelve years if it was Brazil-England-USA.
I don't want to burst your bubble, but it's going to be winter in Brazil, and as Sam said, Russia's WC will be in summer.

Russia and Brazil are both places I would go. The biggest problem with each one though is just how damn big they are. Depending on your draw, you could end up having to take three fllights across the country just to see the group matches!

As for qatar, well, I hope everyone boycott's it...
 

BunniesMan

Immortal
Messages
33,687
You do know that June/July is summer in the Northern Hemisphere right?

I don't want to burst your bubble, but it's going to be winter in Brazil, and as Sam said, Russia's WC will be in summer.

Russia and Brazil are both places I would go. The biggest problem with each one though is just how damn big they are. Depending on your draw, you could end up having to take three fllights across the country just to see the group matches!

As for qatar, well, I hope everyone boycott's it...
The average low in June in Rio is 18 degrees C. The average high is 25 degrees. So almost perfect weather in other words.

The average low in Moscow in June is 12. Average high is 22.

Them Russian nights would be too cold, even in their Summer.
 

Big Sam

First Grade
Messages
8,976
The average low in June in Rio is 18 degrees C. The average high is 25 degrees. So almost perfect weather in other words.

The average low in Moscow in June is 12. Average high is 22.

Them Russian nights would be too cold, even in their Summer.

Firstly, there's no guarantee the Socceroos will play in Rio and two of the potential venues down south, Porto Alegre and Curitiba, have nightly temperatures similar to Canberra in winter. And also Russia has had heatwaves and bushfires the last two summers. I'm not trying to dismiss your argument but I just think your quick rejection of Russia on the basis of poorer weather than Brazil is a bit rash.
 

BunniesMan

Immortal
Messages
33,687
Not just poorer weather. Although that's part of it. Not many beaches in Russia though is there? G string bikinis aren't a popular fashion item in Russia are they?
 
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