I cannot be alone in heaving a huge sigh of relief that we are to be spared the FIFA World Cup in 2018. Violence, alcohol, overcrowding on public transport – all the usual accompaniments of international football – Russia, you are welcome to it. And as for Qatar in 2022, will one be able to get a beer to quench thirst brought about by the 40 degree heat? The failed bid cost this country £15m. Suggestions welcome for alternative uses for this sum. In an era of austerity when vital investments such as education and legal aid are being cut, why is it acceptable to spend these sums, not to mention £9bn (for starters) on the Olympics? And in our concern for carbon emission, why are the bidding processes for these games, the air travel and the construction necessitated by them, exempt from scrutiny? Members of the International Olympic Committee and FIFA have been accused of taking bribes. Ever since the ghastly experience of hockey at school, I have been unable to understand why team sport is supposed to bring out the best in one . . .
Hilarious noble Baroness! Hockey at school!
Such a gentle game.
Suggestions welcome for alternative uses for this sum. Football?
I cannot be alone in heaving a huge sigh of relief You are not alone in heaving sighs for more or less any world cup
cancellation.
The victory rally and parade is one of the saddest ceremonies, I have ever had the misfortune to notice.
I may say though that bringing substantial sums of money via professional players’ career purses, in the millions, to severely underprivileged African countries, is one of the vaguely good works that Football, quite unwittingly, does.
Unfortunately the cause of football politics is not a good one at all, although I would hesitate to describe it as corrupt or ridden with bribery. Do they need to bother, when the rewards are so good any way?
Regrettable too that sport stage impresarios are making such huge sums of money in the 21stC.
Globalism! Do we like it?
For those with a politically correct nature please look away now !
Actually I`m pretty pleased we didn`t get it either and I am a football supporter. Most fans can`t afford to go to League games let alone World Cup games, it`ll be cheaper to go to Russia. And whilst on the subject of Russia let`s face it Putin knew he didn`t have to attend in person, it was already in the bag -Ohh I shouldn`t mention bag should I! After all designer bags were what the British took as bribes for the officials, no wonder Putin laughed and didn`t attend.
Sepp “Chaytor” Blatter and his cronies have needed replacing for years, the “nine bob note” Organisation he runs no longer represents Football. Where does the money come from for his luxurious lifestyle ? From our kids, playing football and going to matches, candy from babies ! Does FIFA listen to National Associations who have cried for years for goal line tech, an official who can look at replays ? Does it heck ! The games no longer fair, it`s no longer affordable either from top to bottom.
My 15 year old daughter plays, as I did, and she`s better than I ever was which makes me proud. By the time we pay fees for FA membership and then spend hours and untold fuel cost`s at the weekend going to games it becomes a sport of the well off, and I`m not mentioning here the fines the young players do get for misbehaviour. Let`s face it though this is the only way they can play footie, it`s illegal to play in the street now, no wonder we can`t turn out decent players. Oh look a park, where`s the ball : SIGN ” NO BALL GAMES”.
The bidding, well how many Local Authorities moaning at cost cuts lost money ? The two highest spending authorities were Sunderland and Bristol at £421,584 and £363,000 respectively. Please explain that to the Council tax payers.
So Russia and Qatar it is, they`ve obviously more money or can afford better designer bags possibly full of money and lots of “preety ladies”. I`ll watch it and be as excited as ever but as an England supporter know full well we`ll do the usual, scrape through the first round then get knocked out by Germany in the Quarters. Football supporters aint what they used to be, we know it`s all about the money now. If you`re a Russian with lot`s of dosh you can buy a cup now, wasn`t talking about you Mr.Putin -This isn`t Wikileaks- was talking that other fella over West London, has a big Yacht probably a friend of Mandies !
Oh and whilst I agree with the noble Baroness on slight relief of not getting the World Cup I don`t agree with the why`s. I`m quite sure if we had been bidding for Classical Orchestra, Ballet or Opera World Cups her attitude would have been different. Ok she doesn`t like Footie or Hockey or any team sport it seem`s, not a team player ? Not very good at it ? Signs of a spoilt childhood if you ask me, if I can`t win I aint playing – Sounds like someone in the legal profession.
“I have been unable to understand why team sport is supposed to bring out the best in one .”
Because you all work together toward a goal.
Carl: We do have the World Cup for classical music – it’s called the Proms, and they are attended by approximately 300,000 and watched and listened to by 16 million. No trouble there! And as for hockey, we did not work together towards a goal, we each struggled to survive in the biting wind without getting hit too badly . . .
Now you`re trying to make it sound like Hurling which it surely wasn`t. One can only summise my Lady was built for comfort !
The Proms is hardly a competition of the best orchestras in the World. I don`t think I`ll even bother with the viewing figure comparison it would make the Proms look a little diminutive. There are plenty that would have attended both. In South Africa there was relatively little trouble from over 1/2 million visitors. Should we ban Universities because Students are apt to violent confrontation ?
Signs of a spoilt childhood if you ask me, if I can`t win I aint playing
I shall spring to the defence of a waif and orphan, and refute this entirely!
ah! Hockey! Jolly?
Pistols at Dawn Sir ?
Just don`t say Lenny sent us! 😉
The sport is fine, it’s the fact that there’s Big Business and Lots of Money attached that ruins it.
I disliked sport at school but as an adult I can appreciate that it gave me an understanding of the rules of various games that I can now enjoy watching. It’s no worse than having to sit through a tedious history lesson or staring out of the window instead of studying the finer points of Latin grammar.
Dear Lady Deech,
Hurrah! Some sense spoken at last on the money being wasted on ‘bread and circuses’.
Howridiculous.
I was discussing the Olympics with someone this week, and he reckoned it will make the country money. I’m not convinced that’s correct, and I don’t believe the spin about leaving a legacy. The £9bn could have provided far, far more benefit than any legacy of the Olympics will. I don’t know about the economics of the World Cup. If the government thought it could boost the economy, weren’t those few millions a good investment?
I should add, though, that I couldn’t care less about whether we host the World Cup or not, and thought it was given inappropriately high billing in the news bulletins.
Carl H: I wonder whether you ever went to school or had PE lessons. Perhaps you were one of the few people who was popular and good at sport. At school, most children are too immature to understand the concept of being a team player. They want to be the one who puts the ball into the goal, so will avoid passing to their team mates. And if you are unpopular, or considered less able at sports, no-one will pass to you or involve you in play, and of course there’s always the humiliating ritual of team selection. I strongly believe PE lessons put many people off physical activity for life, something we as a nation growing more obese by the year can’t afford. There should be less of the idealistic nonsense about team sports, and more of a focus on activity in order to remain fit and healthy.
I would list my school activities in Sports but fear such a lengthy post would cause derision, I even made the Royal Navy gymnastics team for the Royal Tournament 1973.
My daughters are also sports fanatics and know the value of team effort, I agree though that more needs to be done for children to get fit and healthy.
“Violence, alcohol, overcrowding on public transport…” That’s everyday life in Russia, but rarely associated with English football these days.
As much as I would love £15m in my account, in footie terms it’s no more than a quarter of a Rooney, and is a tiny amount compared with the estimated £3.2 billion that could have been expected if England had won the bid.
However, it would be pointless to spend more than 15p in the future while those who matter in both England and FIFA continue to act as they do now.
I would back the FA to withdraw the England team from international competition (no biggie these days, let’s face it) and to look again at the £millions spent annually around the world in its name. But that won’t happen since the FA is part of the problem, too.
I trust Prince William will forget to put the wedding invite in the post to Mr Blatter.