Tuesday, July 20, 2010

FIFA is Predictably Boring

The search for 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts is hot. The diski 'crazy gang' have this as their schedule. Japan: July 19 to 22, South Korea: July 22 to 25, Australia: July 26 to 29, The Netherlands and Belgium: August 9 to 12, Russia: August 16 to 19, England: August 23 to 26, Spain and Portugal: August 30 to September 2, United States: September 6 to 9  and then Qatar: September 13 to 17, 2010. The last known 'crazy gang' were a team in the Premiership called Wimbledon FC. This is because they played a 1-10 formation, without form, without style. They were driven by nothing but team spirit. FIFA are driven by money.



FIFA don't understand how to manage African relationships. You do not marry another woman before you bury your dead wife, at least officially. Those who deviate have to be cunning, a point which I awarded them for picking up Brazil to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Hardly has the dust settled, are they gallivanting inspecting the infrastructure of 2018 and 2022 host bidders. Tourists have not finished cleaning South Africa of vuvuzelas, and believe me, they are committed to the cause as planes are heavily laden with this cheap plastic trumpet like horn, that is currently priced at R150-00 at the airport. (Usually retail price is R15-00.) 

The bid meetings of FIFA became part of process that included the qualifying draws, the actual draw of the qualified teams and the tournament. We are now duly sentenced to boredom of knowing commercials and rhetoric of winners over the next 12 years. Sepp Blatter may not be the FIFA President then. May be that is the point.FIFA is currently in Osaka Japan where inspections began, and presentations will be made in Tokyo. Japan have already started hitting us with that "ultimate 3D" technology to reach over 360 million viewers over 400 venues worldwide. This means that if the final match is played between Zimbabwe and USA in 2018 in Osaka, fans will go to Soccer City Stadium and watch the game "live".

Other bidders are the owners of the money, who have stadia that are better equiped with medical facilities that American hospitals. Arab nations have enough money to build anything. The problem is that their activities are men events, hence they are not always fully utilised. That is where Qatar come. These are some of the pictures of what they will build for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And we are just starting.



Incredible designs by Qatar. Are sponsors driving FIFA to do business this way as their long-term investment plan? What do you reckon?

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