Three Lions snubbed by FIFA as Russia wins bid for 2018 World Cup; Qatar for 2022 WC
FIFA has announced the host nation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and, to the surprise of many, the honour has gone to Russia.
FIFA’s president Joseph Blatter announced the decision in a ceremony held on Thursday at FIFA headquarters in the Swiss capital Zurich.
The finalists for the bid were Russia, England, Spain and Portugal, Holland and Belgium.
England were thought to be the favourites to win the bid, after a strong media campaign. Among the ambassadors for England were Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham.
England had vowed to provide the world with the best facilities for the showpiece event and emphasized on the infrastructure of football and passion for the game present in the country. England last hosted the World Cup in 1966,
when the home team beat West Germany in the finals to win the tournament.
Also among strong contenders were Spain and Portugal, who submitted a joint bid to host the event.
However, Russia was the name when Sepp Blatter opened the envelope to the huge gathering at Zurich’s Messe. Russia’s message in the presentation to FIFA was that they intended to bring the game of football to new frontiers of the
world.
However, Russia has still got a huge job to do in order to stage the mega event, as it still has to build new stadia and transportation network.
The Russian delegation in Switzerland, lead by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, was ecstatic after the announcement. Chelsea FC’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich and Arsenal FC’s midfield player Andrey Arshavin also accompanied
Shuvalov as he took the stage to receive the bid.
After awarding the bid to Russia, FIFA’s president announced that Qatar will be hosting the 2022 Football World Cup.
Joseph said, “I would like to congratulate Qatar and to also thank the other candidates for their efforts. The World Cup is going to new lands and I am a happy President as we speak of the development of football."
The president of FIFA also congratulated the winning nations and offered his commiseration to the countries whose try to host the competition was unsuccessful.
He said, “But I have to give big compliments to all the bidders for the big job they have done and the messages they have delivered. All have delivered the message that football is more than just a game. Football is not only about
winning; it is also a school of life where you must learn to lose, and that is not easy.”
Tags: