World Cup in Australia 'would give FIFA financial windfall'
Holding the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Australia would prove to be a huge financial success for football's governing body, according to a top official in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of Football Federation Australia, Ben Buckley, made the claim ahead of a vote to determine the location of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to be held on 2 December. Australia is vying to host the latter tournament, along with South
Korea, Qatar, the United States and Japan.
The voting process has come under scrutiny following the suspensions of executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii — who is also president of the Oceania Football Federation — following claims of corruption, but Buckley was keen to move
the focus of the bidding away from such controversy and has highlighted the financial benefits of holding the game within the Asian Football Confederation, of which the FFA is a member.
He told reporters: “By 2022 GDP in Asia is expected to be twice as great as that in Europe or North America. Australia’s main trading partners are Japan, China, Korea and India, and as such we are very much aligned with the region’s future growth. By bringing
the World Cup to Asia and the wider Australasian region, FIFA will have the opportunity to share in this growth, while the expected revenues highlighted by the research would allow FIFA to make further significant investments in the game’s development across
the world.”
Buckley was also keen to point out that Asia made up almost a third of the viewers watching the 2010 World Cup and put focus on Australia's capability to hold world-class sporting events.
He added: “The future growth of Asia is an important factor when analysing the impact of hosting a future World Cup in the region. Australia’s pedigree in hosting major events is well known, and we firmly believe that hosting the biggest event of all will
inspire generations to come."
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