A New World

England, Australia and the United States are all aggrieved about the outcome of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup decisions.   England spent £15m on its campaign and got just one vote.   Australia spent $A42 million on its campaign for 2022, but despite having run a fantastic Olympics, got just one vote.   The United States managed to get three votes and President Obama was understandably disappointed.

It became apparent that Fifa wanted to go to ‘new’ locations, most controversially Qatar in 2022 (apparently Australia did not count but then it is not an ‘emerging’ country).    Fifa was entitled to use that as a decision criterion, but it should have spelt it out beforehand rather than letting countries spend large sums of money on developing a ‘technical’ case.

Fifa boss Sepp Blatter accused England of being a bad loser.   However, genuine concerns have been raised about the way in which Fifa takes decisions.   Deciding on two locations at once allowed trading of votes.   There have also been allegations of corruption.   These charges were particularly made in the English media and may not have helped the country’s case.   I watched the programme on Panorama and felt that it raked over new allegations and did not reveal that much that was new.   None of these allegations has ever been substantiated in a court of law, although it is evident that there has been improper conduct in relation to the re-sale of World Cup tickets.

Nevertheless, the Federal Government in Switzerland is evidently concerned about the potential damage the country’s reputation it is suffering as a result of these allegations.    The country hosts nearly 50 international sports organisations, a reflection of its reputation for neutrality, but possibly also because it is known for banking secrecy.  The government has now launched a probe into allegations of corruption in these bodies. This investigation is not specifically targeted at Fifa, but if once they have got going, the Swiss can be tenacious in pursuing any line of enquiry.

I serve on the committee of an international organisation that is far less important than Fifa but decides between rival bids to host congresses.   Even at this lower level, lobbying does occur and one has to be very careful about dealing with offers of hospitality.    In the case of one country, I did not go there until we had accepted their bid and needed to hold a planning meeting and then I went at my expense.    At that stage I felt that it was appropriate to accept an invitation to the presidential palace and I was invited again when the congress was held.  On that occasion the president gave us a fascinating personal tour of the palace which shows how keen countries are to host even minor events.

I thought that Spain and Portugal would be the location for the 2018 World Cup.  They have the stadiums and the transport infrastructure largely in place and Spain are the holders of the World Cup.   Russia has a lot of work to do and there are concerns about problems of corruption in the country’s construction industry.

However, the decision to locate the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was even more controversial.   The country has no tradition of football.    It is very hot, but the organisers have given assurances that they will provide state-of-the-art cooled stadiums which will be relatively close together.   Once the competition is over, most of them will be dismantled and re-assembled in the Global South.    The consumption of alcohol will be permitted, although presumably under controlled conditions.    There have also been concerns about how women and gays will be treated, although the Emir’s wife was very prominent in promoting the bid.

Some jokers suggested that if it is fine for small, rich countries to be selected then perhaps Vatican City could be in the frame for 2026.   They do have a football pitch for inter-seminary competitions and others could be borrowed in the city of Rome.   Others have suggested that given that extreme weather conditions and a lack of indigenous interest in football do not appear to be obstacles, Antarctica could be considered as a new location in the future.   Indeed, the cooling systems in the Qatar stadiums could be converted into heating system.

Qatar has launched initiatives to raise its profile in world football.   Up to now Barcelona has refused to have commercial logos on its shirt and even paid to use the Unicef badge.   But accumulated debts and losses at Barca are now so great that it has been obliged to conclude a £125m five-year deal with the Qatar Foundation headed by the Emir’s wife.

It is rumoured that the Qatar Investment Corporation intends to acquire the ultimate football trophy by buying a Premiership club.   Tottenham Hotspur is said to be their first choice, but they would also consider Everton or Newcastle United, both of which have a real need for new investment.    Whether this will happen remains to be seen, but given the controversy surrounding the World Cup bid, it could provoke a strong reaction from fans.

We have not lacked domestic stories in the past month involving clubs from the non-league to the Premiership and you can read them on www.footballeconomy.com.