Football Update: England-The Perfect candidates for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
With the memories of the 2010 FIFA World Cup firmly embedded in numerous hard drives around the World, focus has now turned to the potential hosts of the 2018 World Cup. Several nations have put their names forward along with their mighty bids in an attempt to somehow earn the privilege to host the most anticipated sporting event in the World Cup.
One of the nations who have attempted to impress in this bidding war is England. For many England have already earned the right to host the 2018 World Cup. However, is it so? Why is the Support for the English bid so overwhelming? Why is it that a country which has a reputation of breeding hooligans and violent English fans is such a favourite for hosting an event which demands respect?
England has its fair share of problems. Firstly, the nation is already hosting the 2012 Olympics so technically, giving it the chance to host another sporting event within the next six years might be considered as unfair to other candidates. Regardless to that, there is a security problem as well. English youth is famous for its drunkard behaviour and the ability to break into a riot at the slightest of provocation.
England was famously awarded the London 2012 Olympics after their bid which was led by Sebastian Coe proved to be apparently better in the eyes of the judges, as compared to the second best bid of the French, who wished to bring the Olympics to Paris. This decision was made by the International Olympic Committee also known as the IOC on the 6th of July, 2005. When this announcement was made on national television in England, young and old both rejoiced because of course this meant that the World trusted the English to do a much better job than anyone else in the World, when it came to the organization of the 2012 Olympics.
However, sadly just twenty four hours after this news, the English people had to deal with a sorrow full moment of history in the shape of 7/7 bombings, which took place in the London subway system on 7th of July, 2005. When Sepp Blatter makes the announcement regarding the winners of the 2018 World Cup bidding process, England will be waiting with its breath withdrawn. Let us not forget that this is by no means a done process. England has strong competition, some would say too strong. Portugal and Spain have both launched a joint bid to wrestle the World Cup to the Iberian Peninsula. Russia has also made a bid to take the World Cup to the icy blankets of Siberia.
Other nations include, United States of America, a country which has seen a sudden surge in interest in conventional football due to their success at the 2010 World Cup, as well as the advent of David Beckham and Thierry Henry to the MLS. There is also a small matter of Holland and Belgium competing for the bid as well with a joint campaign. Therefore, it is by no means a walk over for England.
Nonetheless, fact remains that England IS the home of football. England is where it all started. England is where the sport came to life, sport that billions now call Football.
There are certain things that FIFA considers when determining the suitability of a candidates bid, these factors include areas such as suitable hotel accommodation for the fans that will visit the host nation during the World Cup. Transport and infrastructure links between different host cities in the host nation hold a vital degree of importance as well. FIFA also takes into consideration the amount of park screens that have deployed throughout the major cities of the host nation, as well as the condition of various training facilities. There are also numerous other areas of work that FIFA looks at before making its final decision.
There is a lot of support for England’s 2018 World Cup, as respected individuals such as David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello have already declared their support for the bid. Come what may in December, England does deserve to host the World Cup. Since 1966, England have not been selected as the host nation and since 1996, they have not hosted a distinguished footballing event. There is also a language advantage, as English is an international language which is spoken by most of the football fans; therefore a commonly understood language is a great asset for the England’s bid.
As far as the technicalities are concerned, there is no one better equipped to handle the massive influx of supporters and fans during the tournament and one thing that sets England apart from the other hosts is the passion. Every stadium, every park in the country is filled with football fanatics. Children having a kick around in the nearest street corner and people regardless of age are absolutely mental when it comes to football. If that isn’t enough for hosting a World Cup in 2018 coupled with the fantastic infrastructure in England, then we all are oblivious to what is.
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