World Cup 2018 & 2022 bids

To the detriment of those who are it's lifeblood and made it what it is?

I'm not sure it'll be to the detriment of folk in this country or Spain or any other footballing power house. We've already got the best facilities in the world and a domestic league that's perhaps the greatest on the planet.
 
If thats a crime, shoot me for it. :wenger:

I may just do that.:smirk:

I guess we're just at polar opposites on that... I'm quite insular about football - it seems to me that the more it gets pushed onto people who weren't previously interested as "the worlds game", the more it gets diluted into a bland marketing driven pile of shite... similar to (Anglo-)American dominance of pop music and cinema. It's Starbucks and McDonalds on a football pitch.

I can't help but think that without the globalisation of the Premier League "product" we wouldn't have half the problems we do now with money-grabbing owners and shit atmospheres.
 
Understand that cultural belief systems apply only to the societies that respect them. My problem with you and others who take this stance is tat you believe that your way is the only way and that you are right and others are wrong. No, people have different beliefs and each is as correct as the other. Period.

Yes, the middle east has different customs - thats just the way it is. Perhaps this tournament can be an opportunity for those who believe that their own customs should be allowed in other cultures to challenge the status quo?

I fail to see how banishing homosexuals is anything to do with CULTURE.

In fact, what happens if there is a openly gay superstar come 2022? Will he be not allowed to compete? :lol:
 
Brazil was high risk. Or should I say is high risk.

Yeah, but that was counterweighted by their footballing heritage. If there is one country outside of Europe that has always been "football crazy", it's Brazil.

The Maracana is a legendary venue, and history's best / most famous footballer is Brazillian.

Qatar, meanwhile...
 
I'm not sure it'll be to the detriment of folk in this country or Spain or any other footballing power house. We've already got the best facilities in the world and a domestic league that's perhaps the greatest on the planet.

It is too our detriment because it us we who built football and we who sustain it year after year but we have to watch what is supposed to be the biggest show in football go to the wilderness.
 
FIFA's stated mission is to 'Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future'. Yes, it has an 'imperialist' nature, but its is just like any other global organisation.

by 'we', I mean the footballing fraternity of the world, those with an interest of the game of football.

I think its good for football (and good for the world) to have more people understand and enjoy football as much as we all do. Its a wonderful game and makes lives more fulfilling by participating in some way.

If thats a crime, shoot me for it. :wenger:

:lol::rolleyes:

Another mission is to kick racism in to touch. Have you been to a Russian league match recently?
 
They're anti-Democratic.

Democracies work by the people voting for a Government, who then takes money from the people in taxes before standing for re-election.

FIFA gives money to those who then vote for its members.

Que the status quo, stagnation and corruption.

They are in a whole 'nother universe are FIFA.
 
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So the higher the risk the better? Perhaps that's the message.

Next time England tries to bid, they should propose playing the games with no referee on concrete surfaces. The government should not support the bid, in fact, the government should openly announce they oppose the bid.
 
I fail to see how banishing homosexuals is anything to do with CULTURE.

In fact, what happens if there is a openly gay superstar come 2022? Will he be not allowed to compete? :lol:

Why hasn't there been an openly gay superstar till now? If there is one...he has stayed in the closet till now, and will continue to do so in Qatar. And it will have nothing to do with their national policies on homosexuality.

If he does come out, he probably won't be able to compete because his national teammates will give him shit for it.
 
Next time England tries to bid, they should propose playing the games with no referee on concrete surfaces. The government should not support the bid, in fact, the government should openly announce they oppose the bid.

:lol:

We should also show them a copy of the latest Virgin trains reliability report, focus on how swiftly and on budget we built Wembley, then let them spend the night in a £100 a night Travellodge...
 
Understand that cultural belief systems apply only to the societies that respect them. My problem with you and others who take this stance is tat you believe that your way is the only way and that you are right and others are wrong. No, people have different beliefs and each is as correct as the other. Period.

Yes, the middle east has different customs - thats just the way it is. Perhaps this tournament can be an opportunity for those who believe that their own customs should be allowed in other cultures to challenge the status quo?

Right, take apartheid South Africa, was that a cultural belief that should have been respected? Was it a belief that was as correct as any other?
 
Japan were not exactly the same, they were very close to qualifying for the WC, unlike Qatar who has never got close.

The summer averages about 30c, not ideal, but hardly a major problem.

The have excellent infrastructure, this is basically the country that gave the world bullet trains.

They also had the 2nd biggest economy in the world.

It's safe, no stupid laws against alcohol, homosexuals or women in too little cloth.

You are very biased and are refusing to take anything at all in, so this is pointless.

Worst comparison ever.:lol:

You do know that England invented cricket and have consistently been amongst the top three or four countries in the world in terms of both playing and watching for the sports entire history, right?

You do know that Ian Botham won Sports Personality of the year in 1981, David Steele in 1975 and Jim Laker in 1956 (Gooch came 3rd in 1990, in case you're wondering about the gap)?

How about the fact that prior to the year 2000, 4 of the top 10 all-time test run scorers were English (only an indication of the mountain of player stats you could find to show how integral England are to the history of cricket)?

Do you know which country hosts the stadium internationally accepted as the "home of cricket"? Have a guess.:smirk:

That wasn't how I meant it, I meant that it brought in new fans to the game and will breed new players in the future, and yes I will also add that the general feeling towards cricket changed, with a lower proportion now spouting out the old line of "it takes 5 days ergo it must be shit"
 
Damn right. I love it when people try to pass off oppressive rules from the dark ages as "somebody's culture, which we should respect".:wenger:

Some things even our 'progressive' nation are only a just a few years ahead of others. Lets not get cute here. Specifically racism and homophobia which were both rampant in English football less than 15 years ago.

Just because things are more manageable now (but by no means banished or a thing of the past) does not mean that anything has been solved.

And perhaps engagement with the world through tournaments like the World Cup will help transform Russia's racist opinions and the Middle East lack of acceptance of homosexuality. Surely that is a good thing?
 
Right, take apartheid South Africa, was that a cultural belief that should have been respected? Was it a belief that was as correct as any other?

yes, something this country helped create in the first place!
 
Why hasn't there been an openly gay superstar till now? If there is one...he has stayed in the closet till now, and will continue to do so in Qatar. And it will have nothing to do with their national policies on homosexuality.

If he does come out, he probably won't be able to compete because his national teammates will give him shit for it.

Perhaps there will be a star coming to the end of his career making a point about it.
 
Great post packed full of opinion as always. Some of it makes snese and I agree with and some I dont.

The biggest point of difference we have is about how to develop interest. The Middle East is football mad and indeed invest many £millions to the likes of SKY for viewing rights. And so they already have huge vested interest in how football have evolved over the years. To put it simply, alot of arab money already props up many clubs in the PL beyond the Manchester Massive.

By hosting the tournament to Qatar in 10 years time is a masterstroke in terms of developing football in the region. For the next 10 years, there will be an amazing anticipation and injection of interest into the game. many millions of new fans will be created and an entire generation of young kids will enter the game dreaming of playing in that tournament. Such a transformation is a closer match to FIFAs stated corporate vision than what would have been achieved by awarding the games to a country that already has a deep fascination with the game.

Englands bid in particular was fundamentally flawed in this aspect. Talks of 'legacy' in the England bid was laughable ..... we already have a very saturated market with massive levels of consumption and interest. Hosting the world cup in England would also serve to enhance the nations ego - it would certainly not enhance the popularity of the game nor improve the infrastructure as both are already of world class standards.

So by awarding it to newer footballing nations who have less well developed footballing infrastructures and capabilities is a laudable thing to do and IMO should be congratulated.

Of course the outdated and deluded elitist and imperialist nature of some Englishmen ( as evidenced throughout this thread: "we invented the game ... its our game!") cannot see any of this and so cry foul.

The point that is being missed is this. Nobodies arguing against Russia. I've said that the fairest choice would be Russia. There wasn't a bidding nation in 2018 that didn't deserve it. Qatar for all the millions it pumps in will not be creating a legacy throughout the Arab nations. It is creating a tourist attraction that once it's over will quickly dwindle and return to the status quo, there will be no sudden rise of popularity and creation of leagues that weren't there before. There will only be the chance to watch the worlds greatest players for a few weeks then returning to carrying on watching them play in their respective teams in what ever countries they are in and supporting those teams. Once it's over it will be the same. No sudden emergence of new proffesional leagues all over the Arab world that aren't already there. There will be no sudden uprise in Arab children dreaming of playing in that tournament because it's one small nation and Qatar, are more than likely going to be the only one in the region qualifying. If the Qatar bid was instead a joint bid with various Arab Nations, meaning that Europe and South america may have lost a qualifying place at the final, I'd have happily endorsed.

What is a major annoying point is, if Fifas new remit is to give the game to new territories then thats what should be stated, theres no point in bidding nations spending vast sums of money when they were never in with a chance anyway and ignoring those nations that have a core support of footballers that have all helped Fifa earn their money in the past, who want to host the games in their country. Creating a criteria to decide which is the best bidding nation is also moot. What should happen is Fifa should take the initial bids within a matter of months and let it be known who they want to host it as in accordance to their new branding guidelines. That way other nations will know straight away and can happily drop out at an earlier point without spending so much time and money over a period of years. The only down side to this from Fifas point of view is they won't be getting any money or kickbacks throughout the whole lobbying period.

As for the England legacy, it wasn't aimed at just the English development but more at the charity work that the English game gives to the world that is near to being equal to the amount that Fifa gives as a whole and would benefit Fifas charity work as well.

Lastly why is my dream of taking my daughter to see a world cup game in my country any less valid than any others. Am I being elitist or Imperialistic?
 
It is too our detriment because it us we who built football and we who sustain it year after year but we have to watch what is supposed to be the biggest show in football go to the wilderness.

I think that's one of the reasons why we won't ever win the right to host the WC. Arrogance. As I said, we're already a footballing superpower....but FIFA want to take the game to new frontiers. It's as simple as that really. Whether you agree or disagree is another matter. Truth is we already follow a great product....something which I think is much better than international football. So, I don't think we're going to suffer in the long run. C'est la vie.

Yeah, but that was counterweighted by their footballing heritage. If there is one country outside of Europe that has always been "football crazy", it's Brazil.

The Maracana is a legendary venue, and history's best / most famous footballer is Brazillian.

Qatar, meanwhile...


Or Argentinian! but I see your point. I suspect it was South America's turn. Just as it's Eastern Europe's turn in 2018 and the Middle East in 2020. Again, perhaps we should rotate high risk bids with low risk ones, I don't know....but it's something that FIFA seemingly don't agree with.
 
Do they seriously not take into the effect how bad the host team is when making this decision is? South Africa were mocked, but at least they had shown odd glimpses of being able to compete and more importantly having good players. What good players has Qatar produced, and why is that going to change in the next 8 years, unless they are thinking of taking a full team of teens, then all their prospects are out there and not winning youth tournaments from my knowledge, 2022 is gonna be shambolic, Russia will be ok though, though obviously I'm upset we didn't get it and neither did Spain.

If you want to branch out, surely Australia would of been the logical choice, new host nation, a team that consistently held their own quite well in 3 world cups now, rofl at it all.
 
To the detriment of those who are it's lifeblood and made it what it is?

England is not the only country to have ever contributed to footballs development! Its argued that China invented it and Italy, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Germany can argue that they have also made just as significant a contribution.

And English football will not suffer any 'detriment' from not hosting the world cup, as I wrote in other posts, football in this country will continue to be a great form of entertainment central to the lives of many people.
 
Why hasn't there been an openly gay superstar till now? If there is one...he has stayed in the closet till now, and will continue to do so in Qatar. And it will have nothing to do with their national policies on homosexuality.

If he does come out, he probably won't be able to compete because his national teammates will give him shit for it.

Oh, that's OK then.

I think we may be getting closer than you think to footballers coming out... it's happened fairly out of the blue in rugby and Irish-violent-ball-sport-thing recently.

Only 20 years ago pop stars like Geroge Michael and Elton John felt it necesary to stay in the closet. I can quite imagine people looking back at photos like this and thinking it just as ridiculous:

cristiano_ronaldo_shorts.JPG
 
Some things even our 'progressive' nation are only a just a few years ahead of others. Lets not get cute here. Specifically racism and homophobia which were both rampant in English football less than 15 years ago.

Just because things are more manageable now (but by no means banished or a thing of the past) does not mean that anything has been solved.

And perhaps engagement with the world through tournaments like the World Cup will help transform Russia's racist opinions and the Middle East lack of acceptance of homosexuality. Surely that is a good thing?

There may have been homophobic chants, but that isn't exactly the same as a LAW against it. In fact, don't they stone people to death?
 
It's clear that FIFA thinks way to much of itself:

"Build a better future. Football is no longer considered merely a global sport, but also as unifying force whose virtues can make an important contribution to society. We use the power of football as a tool for social and human development, by strengthening the work of dozens of initiatives around the globe to support local communities in the areas of peacebuilding, health, social integration, education and more."


Lets look at South Africa in a year and see those giant empty stadiums surrounded by slums. Way to go FIFA!
 
England is not the only country to have ever contributed to footballs development! Its argued that China invented it and Italy, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Germany can argue that they have also made just as significant a contribution.

And English football will not suffer any 'detriment' from not hosting the world cup, as I wrote in other posts, football in this country will continue to be a great form of entertainment central to the lives of many people.

China clearly didn't invent the game. I suspect even homo erectus kicked a ball against a wall....just before making his way out of Africa.
 
I think that's one of the reasons why we won't ever win the right to host the WC. Arrogance. As I said, we're already a footballing superpower....but FIFA want to take the game to new frontiers. It's as simple as that really. Whether you agree or disagree is another matter. Truth is we already follow a great product....something which I think is much better than international football. So, I don't think we're going to suffer in the long run. C'est la vie.

How is that arrogance or does FIFA not understand the role of Western Europe in football? It was Blatter himself who referred to England as 'the motherland of football' which was something you did not hear in the English presentation at all. The fact that the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan were beaten out by Qatar and quite decisively says it has nothing to do with English perceptions at all.

And why let developed football nations bid then? Why tell they they are the lowest risk or have the best commercial package, why come to Downing Street, with the red carpet laid out and for that matter in alpha cities across the World if you have no intention whatsoever of giving the world cup to such countries?
 
Just a random thought, wouldn't seeing their national side trashed 3 times at home put generations of Qataris from football?
 
It's clear that FIFA thinks way to much of itself:

"Build a better future. Football is no longer considered merely a global sport, but also as unifying force whose virtues can make an important contribution to society. We use the power of football as a tool for social and human development, by strengthening the work of dozens of initiatives around the globe to support local communities in the areas of peacebuilding, health, social integration, education and more."


Lets look at South Africa in a year and see those giant empty stadiums surrounded by slums. Way to go FIFA!

They obviously didn't take note that England as part of our bid was going to invest as much in social and community programmes around the world as FIFA does.
 
Do they seriously not take into the effect how bad the host team is when making this decision is? South Africa were mocked, but at least they had shown odd glimpses of being able to compete and more importantly having good players. What good players has Qatar produced, and why is that going to change in the next 8 years, unless they are thinking of taking a full team of teens, then all their prospects are out there and not winning youth tournaments from my knowledge, 2022 is gonna be shambolic, Russia will be ok though, though obviously I'm upset we didn't get it and neither did Spain.

If you want to branch out, surely Australia would of been the logical choice, new host nation, a team that consistently held their own quite well in 3 world cups now, rofl at it all.

Why should they consider that? It makes not a jot of difference to how good hosts they will be, neither of their competitors exactly had a chance of winning it did they?

Just a random thought, wouldn't seeing their national side trashed 3 times at home put generations of Qataris from football?

No, why would it? They get to watch the best players on earth at there doorsteps, they will find more love from the game from that without a shadow of doubt.

And if they do well and host a fantastic world cup I would love to see your reaction.
 
Just a random thought, wouldn't seeing their national side trashed 3 times at home put generations of Qataris from football?
They will probably have 5 brazilians and 5 argentinians playing for them cause of that i dont think they will get trashed.
 
How is that arrogance or does FIFA not understand the role of Western Europe in football? It was Blatter himself who referred to England as 'the motherland of football' which was something you did not hear in the English presentation at all. The fact that the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan were beaten out by Qatar and quite decisively says it has nothing to do with English perceptions at all.

And why let developed football nations bid then? Why tell they they are the lowest risk or have the best commercial package, why come to Downing Street, with the red carpet laid out and for that matter in alpha cities across the World if you have no intention whatsoever of giving the world cup to such countries?

My point was we shouldn't be looking at the past...but the future. Sure England invented the game...but we don't need to ram it down everyone's throats each time we bid for the WC. And yes, I agree....I don't see the point of us bidding. Then again, isn't there anything more we could've done? as I said above, perhaps we should've used the London Olympic bid as an example of how to push the regeneration/legacy angle. As Rood said above, we completely misread what FIFA were looking for.
 
Oh, that's OK then.

I think we may be getting closer than you think to footballers coming out... it's happened fairly out of the blue in rugby and Irish-violent-ball-sport-thing recently.

I never said was it was ok.

I honestly don't give a shit. How many gay sportsmen have come out period? Whatever the country or sport... very very few. NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL in the US barely have a handful collectively. NBA had one, and he only came out after he retired, and said it was because of the locker room atmosphere.

So I responded to his gay footballer query by saying it wouldn't be an issue, seeing as how his own teammates would make hell for him.