A report has been published by FIFA, clearing both Russia and Qatar of any wrongdoing over their successful bids to host the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 respectively. However, Michael Garcia (the American Lawyer hired by FIFA to investigate the bidding process) suggested the report is incomplete and misrepresentative, in relation to his own investigations.
From the moment Qatar were awarded the 2022 World Cup, I think it is fair to say that millions of people around the world were gobsmacked. I am not going to offer my analysis of Qatari Politics. The simple mystery is why a country who has never before qualified for a World Cup, should be given the privilege of hosting one of the world's greatest sporting events?
Being blunt about it, Qatar is not the footballing minnow which many people have labelled. Closer examination of their footballing history does show that they have come close to World Cup Qualification on a few occasions, most notably the qualifying tournament for France 98 when a point against Saudi Arabia in a final group match would have taken the Qataris to the World Cup for the first time.
The near miss of France 98 Qualification does not though give the Qataris the platform to suggest they will ever be a world footballing powerhouse. I have previously written about my own belief that the right to host a World Cup should be based on performance at a World Cup Finals, with a provision that a nation can only host a tournament once every twenty years, and not some silly bid process.
I BELIEVE THAT QATAR 2022 IS A WORLD CUP WHICH THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOOTBALL FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD DO NOT WANT. There are a number of reasons for this, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter is a figure in which many people simply do not have confidence in. The simple facts are that here is a man who was presided over a process to give the honour of hosting a World Cup to a country many people don't want, and subsequently an investigation into that process which has now been questioned by the very man who was carrying out the investigation.
Of course Associaton Football is not the only sport that was invented in England. Rugby's great split in 1895 saw the emergence of Rugby League, as the Northern Rugby Football Union broke away from the established Rugby Football Union. The cause was a divide between working class rugby players and more affluent rugby players. A Football Split is now a possibility at some stage.
The tensions in the football family are more global compared to the English Rugby Split of the late nineteenth century. Just maybe it could be argued that the more Association Football becomes more global, then the requirement of accomodating different cultures will indeed become more challenging. For me, all the indications convince me that the longer Sepp Blatter remains at the FIFA helm, then the more likely it is for a split to become reality.
From the moment Qatar were awarded the 2022 World Cup, I think it is fair to say that millions of people around the world were gobsmacked. I am not going to offer my analysis of Qatari Politics. The simple mystery is why a country who has never before qualified for a World Cup, should be given the privilege of hosting one of the world's greatest sporting events?
Being blunt about it, Qatar is not the footballing minnow which many people have labelled. Closer examination of their footballing history does show that they have come close to World Cup Qualification on a few occasions, most notably the qualifying tournament for France 98 when a point against Saudi Arabia in a final group match would have taken the Qataris to the World Cup for the first time.
The near miss of France 98 Qualification does not though give the Qataris the platform to suggest they will ever be a world footballing powerhouse. I have previously written about my own belief that the right to host a World Cup should be based on performance at a World Cup Finals, with a provision that a nation can only host a tournament once every twenty years, and not some silly bid process.
I BELIEVE THAT QATAR 2022 IS A WORLD CUP WHICH THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOOTBALL FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD DO NOT WANT. There are a number of reasons for this, and FIFA President Sepp Blatter is a figure in which many people simply do not have confidence in. The simple facts are that here is a man who was presided over a process to give the honour of hosting a World Cup to a country many people don't want, and subsequently an investigation into that process which has now been questioned by the very man who was carrying out the investigation.
Of course Associaton Football is not the only sport that was invented in England. Rugby's great split in 1895 saw the emergence of Rugby League, as the Northern Rugby Football Union broke away from the established Rugby Football Union. The cause was a divide between working class rugby players and more affluent rugby players. A Football Split is now a possibility at some stage.
The tensions in the football family are more global compared to the English Rugby Split of the late nineteenth century. Just maybe it could be argued that the more Association Football becomes more global, then the requirement of accomodating different cultures will indeed become more challenging. For me, all the indications convince me that the longer Sepp Blatter remains at the FIFA helm, then the more likely it is for a split to become reality.
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