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America's World Cup rooting interest: Russia?
By Martin Rogers
With the right to stage soccer's greatest showpiece up for grabs and the
2018 and 2022 World Cups to be allocated in December, these are nervous
times for the bidding nations. Every fresh development is being scrutinized
intensely by FIFA inspectors and the world soccer media.
You might think, therefore, that the emergence of traditional political
rival and fellow contender Russia as a strong frontrunner for 2018 would
spell bad news for the United States' chances of hosting another World
Cup anytime soon. Not so, according to a senior aide to one of the members
of the 24-man FIFA panel that will ultimately decide the host of the next
two tournaments.
"If I was the USA I would be praying that Russia wins 2018,"
the aide said in a telephone conversation with Yahoo! Sports, speaking
on condition of anonymity. "That would put the Americans in phenomenal
shape for 2022."
And here is the good news for the U.S. organizers: Just a few months out,
the Russian case is looking stronger and stronger and it has steadily
gained momentum due to pledges of multibillion dollar government spending
on stadiums and infrastructure.
"You cannot deny Russia if they bid for something," FIFA president
Sepp Blatter said at a press conference last week. "They are more
than a country. They are a big continent, a big power."
So how can this possibly help the American bid?
The intricacies of the bidding process could fill a weighty tome but in
short, here are the reasons why the USA - which is still in the running
for 2018 but has 2022 as a much more realistic target - should be silently
cheering on its former Cold War adversary instead of the other major contender,
England.
According to the aide, it is all down to how your bid is perceived. England
and the U.S. are "safe bets" with good stadiums and infrastructure
in place. Russia, along with the bid from Australia (likely to be USA's
chief rival for 2022), have never hosted a World Cup and are seen as "more
enlightened, but riskier" propositions. Furthermore, they are seen
as being more remote and difficult (read: expensive) for fans to reach.
While FIFA likes to take its message around the globe, it is thought that
at least one "safe bet" bid is needed once the bidding is finalized
in December, but not necessarily two.
"It would be no surprise to see Russia followed by the USA,"
the aide said. "Just like England followed by Australia would make
sense.
"[But] you must remember that the decision is made by 24 men who
all have their own ideas. What might make sense to the general public
might not be what FIFA is looking for."
Villa still searching for right coach
Aston Villa's coaching situation didn't get any less murky over the weekend
as a 6-0 defeat at Newcastle appeared to put the kibosh on interim boss
Kevin MacDonald's chances of being given the job full time.
With no obvious contenders raising their hand, Villa finds itself the
victim of timing after Martin O'Neill quit just days before the start
of the new English Premier League season. One legitimate option, Mark
Hughes, had just accepted the Fulham job. Another, Martin Jol, will realistically
only put himself in contention if his current team, Ajax, is knocked out
of the Champions League qualifying stage against Shakhtar Donetsk this
week.
And then there is USA head coach Bob Bradley, who made positive comments
about Villa over the weekend but revealed his contact with the club had
gone no further than a preliminary approach. As previously revealed on
Yahoo! Sports, Villa does not consider Bradley a serious option at this
point and he is more likely to renew his U.S. national team contract.
A show of respect
A classy gesture from New York Red Bulls veteran Carl Robinson, who refused
to celebrate when scoring against his former team Toronto FC last weekend,
has been returned in kind.
Toronto fan Chris Jenkins and a group of supporters have chipped in to
produce a special plaque which they will present to Robinson in honor
of his gesture.
New soccer flick
Keep an eye out for an outstanding soccer documentary/movie "Pelada,"
which features former college soccer players Luke Boughen and Gwendolyn
Oxenham as they travel 25 countries with two backpacks and one soccer
ball in search of street games.
Producer Ryan White said that the most surreal experience of the trip
was bribing officials to be allowed into a Bolivian prison to play in
a notorious pick-up game. I won't give too much away, but if you love
soccer it is well worth a look.A special screening and a Q&A with
the directors will be held at The Royal Theatre in Los Angeles next Tuesday
(Aug. 31).
Sports.yahoo.com,
24 August 2010
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