Belgium and The Netherlands
Belgium and The Netherlands have launched a combined bid to host the World Cup in 2018. The bid has been posted under the banner, ‘Together for Great Goals’ and is mainly focused on making the world better and particularly, the
environment.
Both nations have already hosted a mega tournament before in the 2000 European Championships. It was a smoothly operated tournament and the two countries would again want to prove that being small European nations, Belgium and
The Netherlands can easily run the World Cup.
But it seems very unlikely that the two countries would be getting a chance to co-host the tournaments, owing to a couple of strange and demanding requirements put forth by FIFA. Because of this, many political parties in both
countries are against hosting the mega event.
On the other hand, England and Russia are favorites to get the approval and have already put in a massive effort in order to try and bring the Cup to their respective countries and it is very likely that either England or Russia
will secure the bid from FIFA.
Although the chances for the Netherlands and Belgium to co-host are very slim, both nations have already proved that they are more than just capable of running a big event. The FIFA Inspection Committee travelled to both countries
and declared a positive report. Travel between cities is short and the countries boast great infrastructure like stadiums, training facilities etc.
After the world cup in South Africa and the next one in Brazil, FIFA might also want to minimize the distances between host cities, a case that was seen this year in the World Cup in South Africa and will again be observed in Brazil
2014. Travelling great distances between host cities are a problem for supporters and possibly one of the reasons why there empty seats in a few matches as seen in South Africa. But in countries like Belgium and Netherlands, a full packed stadium will be a
guarantee.
Netherlands and Belgium bid CEO, Harry Been said that his team had already read the FIFA Inspection Committee’s report and said that criticism is not something new and added that he is satisfied that there is a lot to be taken
in a positive manner from the report.
The English and Russian bid to host the World Cup has been rumored to be associated with bribery and scandal and that might make FIFA think again before making any decision.
Netherlands reached the final of the World Cup this year and had the biggest fan following in South Africa. This might come in handy for the bidding team as well.
The Hurdles
Currently, there are no signs of new stadiums being built or modified in both Netherlands and Belgium, not in the case of either England or Russia. This might be one of the major hurdles for the bid to get accepted.
The Belgian and Dutch governments might also turn out to be the stumbling blocks as they don’t really support the concept and are unwilling to accept some of the demands that FIFA considers important. Both governments have already
made it clear that after the financial crisis, they will work on cutting down the debts and hosting such a major event will definitely require millions of Euros so it’s very unlikely that a lot of profit will be made.
Stars of the Bid
The face for the Belgium/Netherlands bid for the 2018 World Cup is former A.C Milan and Netherlands international Ruud Gullit. The Dutchman won the Ballon D’Or in 1987 and is a revered figure in Belgium and Netherlands.
Johan Cruyff has also given his support behind the bid and the influential figure would be a valuable ambassador for the bid.
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