Why I believe England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup will be successful, by Charlie de Wirtz.
“Football’s Coming Home” was a song that was written by The Lightening Seeds and used as England’s anthem for The European Championships (Euro 1996) – the last time a major international football tournament was held in England.
The reference to “coming home” made perfect sense at that time, as football originated in England and thirty years had elapsed since the World Cup last took place here, in 1966. However, there is a strong current of opinion among the powers-that-be in football that the use of the “coming home” slogan was a contributing factor to England’s failed bid to host the last World Cup.
Now England has hosting the World Cup in its sights again, and has submitted their application to FIFA for the 2018 or the 2022 tournament. They lost out to Germany in the race to host the 2006 showpiece, and the current bid team are determined to learn the lessons from last time round to ensure that England don’t miss out again on the ‘Big One’.
“One of the things we learned from the last World Cup bid was we were perceived to be arrogant around the world in how we presented ourselves,” says Andy Anson, chief executive of the bid team. “The tone of this campaign has to be different. We will certainly not be saying that football is coming home. It was an arrogant slogan."
This is expected to be the most hotly contested hosting race ever. Australia, USA, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Indonesia have all thrown their hats into the ring, along with joint bids from Holland/Belgium and Spain/Portugal. Korea and Qatar are also both in the running, but only for the 2022 tournament.
In spite of the tough opposition, there are strong reasons to believe that England has an outstanding chance of success for their preference of 2018, which will be the 21st FIFA World Cup. By the time it comes around, ten of the previous twenty tournaments will have been held in Europe. Consecutive World Cups have never been held outside Europe; however, this will change following next year’s tournament in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup to be held in Brazil. A European host therefore seems the most sensible and likely choice for 2018.
In addition to this, European club football is unrivalled in terms of its global popularity and the attention it demands. The leading English, Spanish and Italian clubs – aided by huge investment and the accessibility to satellite TV channels – have become global ‘brand’ names and command an ever-expanding international fan base. It seems inconceivable that FIFA would allow three tournaments to elapse omitting Europe as a host destination.
The other bidders will be aware of this, which is why non-European hopefuls like Australia and the USA will be focusing their efforts more on 2022.
There remains strong opposition to England’s bid from within Europe, however, so the question remains: Why England? What are England’s strong points?
Firstly, England is home to the Premier League (the “EPL”) which is watched the world over, far more than any other national league. No other league has attracted the colossal amount of foreign investment that the English Premier League has, especially in recent times. Many of the best players in the world play here, and the majority of those that don’t dream of doing so at some stage in their career.
Secondly, from an organizational point of view, England would represent a safe bet for FIFA. London is home to no less than thirteen professional football clubs – more than any other city in the world. The world famous Wembley stadium has recently been totally rebuilt and would provide the perfect setting for the Final and perhaps the Opening Ceremony. Intercity travel is efficient and long distances for travelling fans would not be a factor. A sound and modernized infrastructure should also be a natural upshot of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.
Thirdly, it’s not just the Capital that ticks the right boxes. Both the North and the Midlands have experience of hosting international sporting events in recent years, such as the World Indoor Athletics Championship and the Commonwealth Games. They also boast some superb stadiums, such as Old Trafford (Manchester United), the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester City), St James’ Park (Newcastle United), the Stadium of Light (Sunderland) and the historic Villa Park (Aston Villa).
Indeed, the corner stone of England’s argument for its suitability to host the World Cup is that it boasts a rich football heritage wherever you go. As Andy Anson says: "Our starting point is always about the passion of the fans in England and the fact that in every community in England they are obsessed with football and the passion of football. And, if you add onto that the diversity of those communities, any team playing in the World Cup would probably pack a stadium full of its own fans who are based in England.” (Source: Crean, 2009)
One would think that such cultural diversity could only count in England’s favour when it comes to FIFA votes at the end of next year. With a good infrastructure already in place, a successful English bid would enable them to focus on furthering the global development of the game, something that is very much within the interests of FIFA. If they become convinced that a World Cup hosted by England in 2018 would represent the most powerful means of continuing to marketing football globally – from the grass roots upwards – then it would be hard to see England missing out this time.
“Football’s Coming Home” was a song that was written by The Lightening Seeds and used as England’s anthem for The European Championships (Euro 1996) – the last time a major international football tournament was held in England.
The reference to “coming home” made perfect sense at that time, as football originated in England and thirty years had elapsed since the World Cup last took place here, in 1966. However, there is a strong current of opinion among the powers-that-be in football that the use of the “coming home” slogan was a contributing factor to England’s failed bid to host the last World Cup.
Now England has hosting the World Cup in its sights again, and has submitted their application to FIFA for the 2018 or the 2022 tournament. They lost out to Germany in the race to host the 2006 showpiece, and the current bid team are determined to learn the lessons from last time round to ensure that England don’t miss out again on the ‘Big One’.
“One of the things we learned from the last World Cup bid was we were perceived to be arrogant around the world in how we presented ourselves,” says Andy Anson, chief executive of the bid team. “The tone of this campaign has to be different. We will certainly not be saying that football is coming home. It was an arrogant slogan."
This is expected to be the most hotly contested hosting race ever. Australia, USA, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Indonesia have all thrown their hats into the ring, along with joint bids from Holland/Belgium and Spain/Portugal. Korea and Qatar are also both in the running, but only for the 2022 tournament.
In spite of the tough opposition, there are strong reasons to believe that England has an outstanding chance of success for their preference of 2018, which will be the 21st FIFA World Cup. By the time it comes around, ten of the previous twenty tournaments will have been held in Europe. Consecutive World Cups have never been held outside Europe; however, this will change following next year’s tournament in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup to be held in Brazil. A European host therefore seems the most sensible and likely choice for 2018.
In addition to this, European club football is unrivalled in terms of its global popularity and the attention it demands. The leading English, Spanish and Italian clubs – aided by huge investment and the accessibility to satellite TV channels – have become global ‘brand’ names and command an ever-expanding international fan base. It seems inconceivable that FIFA would allow three tournaments to elapse omitting Europe as a host destination.
The other bidders will be aware of this, which is why non-European hopefuls like Australia and the USA will be focusing their efforts more on 2022.
There remains strong opposition to England’s bid from within Europe, however, so the question remains: Why England? What are England’s strong points?
Firstly, England is home to the Premier League (the “EPL”) which is watched the world over, far more than any other national league. No other league has attracted the colossal amount of foreign investment that the English Premier League has, especially in recent times. Many of the best players in the world play here, and the majority of those that don’t dream of doing so at some stage in their career.
Secondly, from an organizational point of view, England would represent a safe bet for FIFA. London is home to no less than thirteen professional football clubs – more than any other city in the world. The world famous Wembley stadium has recently been totally rebuilt and would provide the perfect setting for the Final and perhaps the Opening Ceremony. Intercity travel is efficient and long distances for travelling fans would not be a factor. A sound and modernized infrastructure should also be a natural upshot of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.
Thirdly, it’s not just the Capital that ticks the right boxes. Both the North and the Midlands have experience of hosting international sporting events in recent years, such as the World Indoor Athletics Championship and the Commonwealth Games. They also boast some superb stadiums, such as Old Trafford (Manchester United), the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester City), St James’ Park (Newcastle United), the Stadium of Light (Sunderland) and the historic Villa Park (Aston Villa).
Indeed, the corner stone of England’s argument for its suitability to host the World Cup is that it boasts a rich football heritage wherever you go. As Andy Anson says: "Our starting point is always about the passion of the fans in England and the fact that in every community in England they are obsessed with football and the passion of football. And, if you add onto that the diversity of those communities, any team playing in the World Cup would probably pack a stadium full of its own fans who are based in England.” (Source: Crean, 2009)
One would think that such cultural diversity could only count in England’s favour when it comes to FIFA votes at the end of next year. With a good infrastructure already in place, a successful English bid would enable them to focus on furthering the global development of the game, something that is very much within the interests of FIFA. If they become convinced that a World Cup hosted by England in 2018 would represent the most powerful means of continuing to marketing football globally – from the grass roots upwards – then it would be hard to see England missing out this time.
References
BBC News (18 May 2009) “2018 Bid Chief calls for humility” {online}
Available from http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football (accessed 24 July 2009)
Crean, J. Google News “England declare 2018 World Cup bid slogan-free” {online} Available from http://www.google.com/hostednews (accessed 23 July 2009)
Available from http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football (accessed 24 July 2009)
Crean, J. Google News “England declare 2018 World Cup bid slogan-free” {online} Available from http://www.google.com/hostednews (accessed 23 July 2009)
Published in The East (East Asian Monthly Business Newspaper) in August 2009 (Issue 22) www.theeast.org
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