2018 / 2022 FIFA World Cup

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Our bid too clean, says Australia's Mr Fix-It
Sebastian Hassett
December 7, 2010

THE man charged with connecting Australia to FIFA's corridors of power, Peter Hargitay, insists the FFA's ''fundamental mistake'' was being too clean - and that Australia was the victim of a conspiracy to eliminate it from the 2022 World Cup bidding process as early as possible.

Hargitay said FIFA's executive committee had ''conned'' Australia's bid team into thinking they had secured six votes before the first round of voting. Only one vote eventuated.

And in a fresh development, Les Murray, Australia's representative on FIFA's ethics committee, said the executive committee considered a motion to delay the vote for a year due to concerns about the legitimacy of Qatar's bid.

As the fallout deepens from Australia's disastrous showing in Zurich, FFA chairman Frank Lowy and his out-of-contract chief executive, Ben Buckley, will front a press conference in Sydney later today.

Speaking on SBS television in an interview aired last night, Hargitay, whom Lowy appointed as the bid's chief strategist for a reported $1.65 million, said Australia had not greased enough hands.

''The most fundamental mistake we made, and there can be no other way, is that we played it clean,'' he said. ''I'm not accusing anybody [else of anything illegal].

''I'm just telling you that Frank Lowy's motto from the outset was - his maxim to do this was - 'Guys, we're going to fight, we're going to do our best, we're going to see everybody once, twice, three times … we're going to do the best possible bid, but there will be no inducement. There will be nothing paid to anybody.'

''Because we were told of course, that that's an option for people. And we didn't. We didn't and that's it.''

Hargitay was stunned that five executive committee members went back on pledges to support Australia. ''Of the six votes, we had one left and that one vote was claimed by two people, so you tell me what is honesty,'' he said.

Sensing that momentum for Qatar was snowballing in the days leading up to the vote, Hargitay confirmed he was behind Australia's push for FIFA to switch from a secret ballot to a public one.

Frustration over the final outcome was shared by the United States. Hargitay said both countries were confident they knew where the final votes went and he didn't rule out making this public. ''The people themselves will not go public, no,'' he said. ''But everybody has a pretty good idea who was in the bidding.

''I spoke to our counterparts in the US bid yesterday evening and we all have a pretty good idea what went down. As to when the time is right to say more, that is not my decision to take.''

Hargitay criticised the Qatar bid for narrowing its focus to the nation itself rather than encompassing all of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Murray revealed yesterday on the The World Game podcast that certain members of the executive committee had seriously considered a motion to delay the vote for 12 months.

''There were real worries after the Sunday Times allegations and revelations came out,'' Murray said. ''There was a FIFA [executive committee] meeting on November 19 - two days after the ethics committee's second meeting - where there were plans to move that the vote be postponed on 2022 for a year.

''That was because people on the [committee] were fearing Qatar had the numbers. So rather than have Qatar get up on December 2, people wanted to move to postpone. That motion didn't get up.

''That motion would have disqualified Qatar on the grounds of the evaluation report and the sheer lunacy of their bid.''

Murray said his personal view was that the ''notion that Qatar should hold a World Cup bordered on the ridiculous'', due to reasons ranging from the severity of its laws, to the oppressive climate and the problems of attracting fans.

Our bid too clean, says Australia's Mr Fix-It

actually unbelievable, except not. it was hard to decide which part to highlight, since there were so many options.
 
any fit ladies will be forced to wear the burqa

crowds will be segregated - men on one side and women in an indoor fanzone in the desert (air conditioned of course)

All games will start with prayers

ALl games will be disrupted and paused should one of the 5 prayers fall during the game

The Official Adidas Ball will be halal - the leather will come from a Halal source
 
Qatar's neighbouring countries could host games at the 2022 World Cup, according to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Qatar was designated the 2022 World Cup last week, despite fears the intense heat poses a serious health risk if the tournament is played in summer.

In an interview with sports daily L'Equipe today, Blatter said Australia's 2022 World Cup bid proposed some matches could be held in New Zealand, and Qatar could likewise have neighboring countries host games. He didn't say which countries.

"Australia, in its candidacy bid, proposed to give several matches to New Zealand," Blatter told L'Equipe.

"I think it could be the same in Qatar and that some matches could take place in nearby countries."

FIFA was right to award Qatar the World Cup, Blatter reiterated, because football needs to expand from its traditional strongholds.

"With Qatar, we are opening football to a new world and a new culture," Blatter said.

"The Arab world, which has tried several times - with Morocco or Egypt for example - to host the World Cup, could legitimately lay claim to hosting this."

Qatar also beat Japan, United States, and South Korea to win.

Qatar has huge financial means to ensure a state-of-the art cooling system in stadiums and training grounds to combat desert heat.

Ruled by the Al Thani family, the tiny Gulf nation has committed $US42.9 billion ($NZ56.36 billion) for infrastructure upgrades and $US4b to build nine stadiums and renovate three others. All the stadiums plan to keep temperatures at about 27degC.

Blatter said finance was not a primary motivation for awarding the tournament to Qatar.

"If we had wanted to make money, we would have gone to the United States," Blatter said.

"You must not forget that they (Qatar) have been making efforts for a while and have already hosted FIFA competitions" like the under-20 World Cup.

Qatar neighbours could host 2022 WC games | Stuff.co.nz

this is news to me, and probably to the australian bid team.
 
The Qatar decision is disgusting, but I'm hoping that the global footballing community can perhaps work out a way to force FIFA to overturn the decision in due time somehow. We've got 12 years.

While it has only been mentioned in passing by a few infuriated people, a more active anti-FIFA movement (a coalition comprising of the USA, England and Australia among others perhaps), might be tempted to secede from FIFA governance and establish a rebel global footballing body. A Boycotting of FIFA products has also been suggested from many furious football fans.

Is this entirely infeasible, provided such a breakaway alliance has support from influentials and strong financial backing?

It would be more of a "fuck you" gesture to FIFA, more about posturing in retaliation to the Qatar (Russia) decision than anything. Might be a constructive thing.

The decision to give the right to host the 2022 World Cup to Qatar is anything but "for the good of the game". The World Cup has been given to Mohammad Bin Hamman, not fans of football.
 
coolian2 said:
Qatar neighbours could host 2022 WC games | Stuff.co.nz

this is news to me, and probably to the australian bid team.

It certainly is. The only talk of outsourcing matches to NZ was well before the official Australia 2022 bid was launched. It was never part of our formal bid and was never going to be. We would have stated so otherwise and put forward a co-hosting bid.

This is the second time since the disgusting decision that FIFA reps have come out and virtually said Qatar is not really all that suitable to host a World Cup. What a joke.
 
The Qatar decision is disgusting, but I'm hoping that the global footballing community can perhaps work out a way to force FIFA to overturn the decision in due time somehow. We've got 12 years.

While it has only been mentioned in passing by a few infuriated people, a more active anti-FIFA movement (a coalition comprising of the USA, England and Australia among others perhaps), might be tempted to secede from FIFA governance and establish a rebel global footballing body. A Boycotting of FIFA products has also been suggested from many furious football fans.

Is this entirely infeasible, provided such a breakaway alliance has support from influentials and strong financial backing?

It would be more of a "fuck you" gesture to FIFA, more about posturing in retaliation to the Qatar (Russia) decision than anything. Might be a constructive thing.

The decision to give the right to host the 2022 World Cup to Qatar is anything but "for the good of the game". The World Cup has been given to Mohammad Bin Hamman, not fans of football.
surely if it is moved from Qatar something would have to happen sooner rather than later...

as for the break off governing body, well. i can't see that working at all. but i stand to be corrected.
 
The Qatar decision is disgusting, but I'm hoping that the global footballing community can perhaps work out a way to force FIFA to overturn the decision in due time somehow. We've got 12 years.

While it has only been mentioned in passing by a few infuriated people, a more active anti-FIFA movement (a coalition comprising of the USA, England and Australia among others perhaps), might be tempted to secede from FIFA governance and establish a rebel global footballing body. A Boycotting of FIFA products has also been suggested from many furious football fans.

Is this entirely infeasible, provided such a breakaway alliance has support from influentials and strong financial backing?

It would be more of a "fuck you" gesture to FIFA, more about posturing in retaliation to the Qatar (Russia) decision than anything. Might be a constructive thing.

The decision to give the right to host the 2022 World Cup to Qatar is anything but "for the good of the game". The World Cup has been given to Mohammad Bin Hamman, not fans of football.
Sorry, but that's just gathering with a bunch of frustrated people who think they deserved the World Cup more. I don't think it would impress FIFA at all.
 
It worked for cricket too; World Series Cricket in the late 1970s.
 
MadForIt said:
erm England is a football superpower

USA and Australia are not

For these 3 to break away it would be a joke

USA is the USA, might be able to drag Mexico and Canada along with them.

Hopefully, east Asia (Japan, China, Korea) might be interested in pulling away one day.

We always hear England's loud reaction to the World Cup bid, but not the reaction from other Euro nations. How are they taking the Russia and Qatar decision? Russia deserved it, but surely no one can say that Qatar deserve a World Cup??
 
Now they want to move the Qatar World Cup to winter (January) :|

What a farce FIFA has become. Not content with giving the world cup to a ridiculous nation, now they want to move it to a ridiculous time of year.
 
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup got underway last night in the world football superpower that is Qatar. The opening game featuring Qatar attracted an attendance of only 37,143 to the 50,000-capacity Khalifa Stadium. By the 80 minute mark, it was less than half empty with the home side down 2-0. That was the final scoreline with the home side losing to Uzbekistan. What a pathetic footballing nation - and they're hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup? I don't know much about their squad, but i'm guessing their only 'good' players are imports who've changed their nationality in return for big bucks!

just saying.
 
shocked cat can't believe it.

shockedCat_1_hello_there-s510x472-103667-535.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom