Qatar 2022?

[Ian Royal]

I think anyone hosting should have a decent chance of actually qualifying for a WC without getting the free pass from hosting. Or has at least got into a play off to qualify in the past.

Why not just make them go through qualifying ?

Host countries often complain that because they have 2 years without competitive games they are at a disadvantage.

It may also make some countries think twice about bidding if they think that the event wouldn't get support from the locals if the home team wasn;t there...

Well if you change the current system I have less problem with it in that way. Although then of course you have the danger of a host not in the contest with the population far less interested. Which I have a very big problem with.

Can you imagine the sort of disaster of a World Cup hosted here with England (and Scotland, Wales Norn Iron and Eire) failing to qualify.

[RG30]

What are the other nations going for the bid?

The 2018 & 2022 World Cup bids will be decided at the same time (December 2010). Confirmed bids are England, Holland/Belgium, Spain/Portugal, Russia, USA, Australia, Qatar (2022 only), South Korea (2022 only), Japan. It's nailed on 2018 will be back in Europe with England the likely destination IMHO. The biggest threat will be Russia who have unlimited resources/fiance behind the bid,especially from the government. Spain/Portugal has a bit of in-fighting at the moment,however will provide decent opposition. Belgium/Holland are big outsiders.

As for 2022, it's going to be 1 out of USA, Australia & Qatar. I can't see FIFA going back to Asia after 2002 which was a success in Japan while South Korea didn't do aswell in terms of numbers as anticipated however the success of the national team made up for that. The US still remains a very decent shout with the game on the up over there,and the facilites on offer meaning not much needs to be worried about from that point of view. Australia again like Russia have big financial support but potential stadium issues are a stumbling block with the timing of the event. As for Qatar, they genuinally can't be ruled out big investment in that part of the world.

[Silver Fox]

Holland/Belgium, Spain/Portugal.

What happened to "no more joint bids"?

[RG30]

God knows, UEFA done a u-turn when they awarded the 2012 Euro's to Poland & Ukraine as the favourites at the time Italy suffered some bad press at the time time with the death of a policeman at an Italian game and the Calciopoli scandal that rocked football.

Anyway bid books submitted today, FIFA seemed pretty pleased with England's bid and Cameron even phoning Blatter yesterday to speak of his support, however as I said previously Russia are probably the direct competition with Blatter very complimentary. With a decision now due on the 2nd December, let the backstabbing/bribes begin.

[Compo's Hat]

Brazil 2014 preparations causing concern

SAO LOURENCO DA MATA, Brazil - Overgrown grass, shacks and a farm animal's head skewered on a post mark this spot in northeastern Brazil that in four years is meant to house a state-of-the-art stadium fit for the 2014 World Cup.

As South Africa prepares to kick off its World Cup next month, football-crazy Brazil is coming under fire for dragging its feet and missing deadlines on preparations for the event four years from now, which include building five stadiums from scratch and carrying out major overhauls of others.

Of the 12 stadiums that need to be ready across the huge South American country, only three met a May 3 deadline set by football world governing body FIFA for construction work to have begun, according to the Portal Copa 2014 Web site run by Brazil's Engineering and Architecture Union.

"The country is still playing on defense, without any moves towards goals," the Web site said after conducting a study of the progress in April. "Delays in the tender processes, court disputes, lack of definition of projects and financial difficulties are still paralyzing the construction work."

Plans for a 600 million-real ($340 million) overhaul of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium are among those most behind schedule, with the project yet to be bid out to construction companies.

Jerome Valcke, the general secretary of football's world governing body FIFA, sounded the alarm this month, saying that Brazil "was not walking along the right path" and that he had been worried by the latest progress report.

Brazil's government, which says that stadium construction is the responsibility of municipalities and states, has raised the prospect of a reduced number of sites for games if the infrastructure is not ready.

"I imagine it would be possible to do the Cup with six stadiums," Planning Minister Paulo Bernardo was quoted as saying by the Agencia Estado news agency on Tuesday.


ECONOMIC RISKS

Such a reduction would be an embarrassment for Brazil and a blow to cities in poorer regions such as the northeast, where residents are counting on a major economic lift from the new infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors.

The World Cup and the Olympic Games in Rio two years later are seen as key drivers of Latin America's largest economy in the coming years.

The month-long tournament is forecast to inject 183 billion reais into the economy over 10 years, from new infrastructure such as expanded airports as well as tourism, according to a study commissioned by the ministry of sport.

At the planned stadium site near Sao Lourenco da Mata, about 30 minutes by car from the northeastern city of Recife, residents say they have not heard from authorities, even though the official start date for the work was in mid-May.

"So far the government has said nothing about when the work will start and what will happen to the people here," said Vandelson Gomez de Souza, a a 23-year-old farmer who along with dozens of other families scratches out a living in the area.

Nearby restaurant owner Edmundo Severino de Lima was also in the dark. "How are they going to start work here if they haven't informed anyone? The people here are just continuing to wait," he said, as a horse grazed lazily nearby.

The beachside city of Natal further north has also yet to start work on or bid out its planned 45,000-capacity Dunes Stadium. Fernando Fernandes, the state's secretary for World Cup preparations, blamed bureaucracy and a change in project structure for the delay but said it was now back on track.

"You have to get approval from the prosecutor's office, from the planning secretary, have a budget, publicize the proclamation, wait 40 odd days ... it's a long process," he told Reuters at an investment conference in Natal.

The 2014 World Cup was a cause for guarded optimism among real estate investors at the conference.

"I don't think there's a concern it won't be ready. But is there a concern it won't be ready as well as it could? Then yes there is possibly a concern. From what I see, people need to get moving quickly," said Martin Bellamy, the British chief executive of Salamanca Capital, which is active in Natal through a partnership with a major property developer.

[papereyes]

US and England have formally dropped out of the 2018 and 2022 bids respectively.

The decision means there will definitely be a European host in 2018, with England and Russia remaining in the running along with joint bids by Belgium/Holland and Spain/Portugal.

With Fifa statutes preventing two successive World Cups being held in the same continent, the race for the 2022 tournament will now be between Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar and the US.

[roadrunner]

US and England have formally dropped out of the 2018 and 2022 bids respectively.

The decision means there will definitely be a European host in 2018, with England and Russia remaining in the running along with joint bids by Belgium/Holland and Spain/Portugal.

Confused?

[papereyes]

respectively.

i.e

US out of 2018
England out of 2022

[Row Z Royal]

US and England have formally dropped out of the 2018 and 2022 bids respectively.

The decision means there will definitely be a European host in 2018, with England and Russia remaining in the running along with joint bids by Belgium/Holland and Spain/Portugal.

Confused?

I think you're the confused one.

[roadrunner]

I am! Have we or have we not dropped out?

[Row Z Royal]

I am! Have we or have we not dropped out?

We have.

[roadrunner]

I am! Have we or have we not dropped out?

We have.

Yet the same quote says England remain in the running. didn't Sepp Blatter just this week praise us and how we could hold the tournament tomorrow, or am I totally oxf*rd here?

[prostak]

Brilliant stuff, RR.

[Row Z Royal]

I am! Have we or have we not dropped out?

We have.

Yet the same quote says England remain in the running. didn't Sepp Blatter just this week praise us and how we could hold the tournament tomorrow, or am I totally oxf*rd here?

Read the quote and Paps' comment, get a dictionary definition of "respectively", then re-read the quote again.

[swansea jack]

What have Qatar done to enhance the game?

What have South Africa done?

Exactly.

Footy is their #1 sport and played everywhere.

[Row Z Royal]

What have South Africa done?

Exactly.

Footy is their #1 sport and played everywhere.

Don't bite. This bloke's a bigger WUM than Kes.

[swansea jack]

What are the other nations going for the bid?

The 2018 & 2022 World Cup bids will be decided at the same time (December 2010). Confirmed bids are England, Holland/Belgium, Spain/Portugal, Russia, USA, Australia, Qatar (2022 only), South Korea (2022 only), Japan. It's nailed on 2018 will be back in Europe with England the likely destination IMHO. The biggest threat will be Russia who have unlimited resources/fiance behind the bid,especially from the government. Spain/Portugal has a bit of in-fighting at the moment,however will provide decent opposition. Belgium/Holland are big outsiders.

As for 2022, it's going to be 1 out of USA, Australia & Qatar. I can't see FIFA going back to Asia after 2002 which was a success in Japan while South Korea didn't do aswell in terms of numbers as anticipated however the success of the national team made up for that. The US still remains a very decent shout with the game on the up over there,and the facilites on offer meaning not much needs to be worried about from that point of view. Australia again like Russia have big financial support but potential stadium issues are a stumbling block with the timing of the event. As for Qatar, they genuinally can't be ruled out big investment in that part of the world.

No issues with the stadia or the timing of the event in Oz which has been 2022 only for while now. The other Aussie football codes are complaining but it's all politics so they get upgraded new / stadia etc... My $$$ is on Oz for 2022 (and England for '18).

[readingbedding]

Qatar will never, ever, ever host the World Cup in my lifetime!

[Seal]

To 100% clarify, England have dropped out of 2022 bid but are still firmly in the bid for 2018.

Reason being that 2018 will definitely go to 'Europe', in which case there's no point going for 2022 as that definitely will not.

All sources pointing to a Russia win for 2018. Unfortunately England just don't play the game with FIFA as well as others. There is also a macro trend of world sports events going to emerging (particularly BRIC) economies, which plays into Russia's hand:-

2008 Olympics Beijing
2010 World Cup South Africa
2010 Commonwealth Games Delhi
2014 Winter Olympics Sochi (Russia)
2014 World Cup Brazil
2016 Olympics Rio
2018....

You get the picture.

Would like Oz to win 2022, but think it will go to US (FIFA will want a big pay day to be guaranteed in the future after taking the tournament to emerging economies).

One of England or US will win for this reason, and I think it will be the US as their bid has less powerful rivals than England's - which apart from Russia is also competing against a strong Spanish / Portuguese bid)

[prostak]

Qatar will never, ever, ever host the World Cup in my lifetime!

Sorry to hear you're ill.