OT: World Cup 2018 & 2022

[Pistol]

US is bidding for 2022 and brought out the big guns: Landon Donovan, Morgan Freeman, and Bill Clinton.

Could this first announcement take any longer? How much longer until 2022's announcement will it be? Sheesh.

[Pistol]

Well, I guess they read my post.

Russia for 2018. That will be the 11th time Europe has hosted out of 21 at that point.

2022 TBA...(it's gotta be USA or Australia, right?)...

[MusicCityBilliken]

Well, I guess they read my post.

Russia for 2018. That will be the 11th time Europe has hosted out of 21 at that point.

2022 TBA...(it's gotta be USA or Australia, right?)...

I didn't think the president of FIFA would shut-up.

[For-DaLove]

US is bidding for 2022 and brought out the big guns: Landon Donovan, Morgan Freeman, and Bill Clinton.

Could this first announcement take any longer? How much longer until 2022's announcement will it be? Sheesh.

The fact that Landon Donovan is one of our big guns is a prime example of why American soccer isn't on par with the powers of the world.

Let's hope we get the 2022 WC!

[Pistol]

QATAR?!

[moytoy12]

Well, I guess they read my post.

Russia for 2018. That will be the 11th time Europe has hosted out of 21 at that point.

2022 TBA...(it's gotta be USA or Australia, right?)...

Qatar has the money to corrupt the 2022 selection.

[moytoy12]

And right after I type that I see that Qatar is awarded the 2022 World Cup. What a joke.

[slubilliken09]

Quoting JozyAltidore17..

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

[SpartanBilliken]

And right after I type that I see that Qatar is awarded the 2022 World Cup. What a joke.

another example of how everyone hates America.

jealous a-holes

[moytoy12]

another example of how everyone hates America.

jealous a-holes

Don't think this was so much about hate for America, but Qatar lining the pockets of FIFA officials.

[Pistol]

List of problems with Qatar, just off the top of my head:

-Not even close to enough stadiums right now, and need to build quite a few in 12 years.

-Heat: Oppressive, killer heat.

-Infrastructure: long, long way to go. Little desert island in the Persian Gulf. Getting around won't be bad distance-wise, but expect terrible traffic in every direction.

-Water: Qatar was one of the countries featured in a project my class did in Tim Kusky's Natural Disasters class at SLU. They might not have any damn water by 2022, no joke.

-Alcohol: forbidden in many parts of the country, thanks to good ol' Islamic law. Granted, the big oil money countries like Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE are pretty lax on foreigners and the oil barons there, but it isn't easy for everyone everywhere there.

It's an extremely wealthy country, one of the highest on a per capita basis because of oil. That will give them the ability to build a lot of stuff quickly, like they have been doing lately. But a place this small, hot, and developing is a weird choice to host this event.

[kevinfootes]

List of problems with Qatar, just off the top of my head:

-Not even close to enough stadiums right now, and need to build quite a few in 12 years.

-Heat: Oppressive, killer heat.

-Infrastructure: long, long way to go. Little desert island in the Persian Gulf. Getting around won't be bad distance-wise, but expect terrible traffic in every direction.

-Water: Qatar was one of the countries featured in a project my class did in Tim Kusky's Natural Disasters class at SLU. They might not have any damn water by 2022, no joke.

-Alcohol: forbidden in many parts of the country, thanks to good ol' Islamic law. Granted, the big oil money countries like Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE are pretty lax on foreigners and the oil barons there, but it isn't easy for everyone everywhere there.

It's an extremely wealthy country, one of the highest on a per capita basis because of oil. That will give them the ability to build a lot of stuff quickly, like they have been doing lately. But a place this small, hot, and developing is a weird choice to host this event.

Just a few thoughts...I'm sure that corruption is a huge factor here. Also, FIFA talks quite a bit about promoting the game around the world. Not to mention the fact that people here aren't very passionate about the game. All that said, we have the best venues and will easily sell 70K+ tickets to every game played. No other country in the world can match that.

BTW, don't forget the corruption factor with the Russians in 2018. They make Italy look like a hippie commune.

[slufanskip]

FIFA doesn't want the USA stealing their sport. We got the '94 cup, but really, at that time, who cared about the USA in soccer? No one, getting some interest and American money in the sport was good for FIFA. It's a different story now though. By 2022 the USA WILL be a team that can win it all. We are seeing where our mistakes in developing players have come from and are taking steps to improve, and it will be done. The soccer world doesn't want the USA bringing their perceived arogance to the one major sport that has always belonged to everyone else.

[MusicCityBilliken]

Not surprising it went to the countries that can line FIFA's pockets.

Russian mafia Abramovich and some corrupt sheik.

[Clock_Tower]

List of problems with Qatar, just off the top of my head:

-Not even close to enough stadiums right now, and need to build quite a few in 12 years.

-Heat: Oppressive, killer heat.

-Infrastructure: long, long way to go. Little desert island in the Persian Gulf. Getting around won't be bad distance-wise, but expect terrible traffic in every direction.

-Water: Qatar was one of the countries featured in a project my class did in Tim Kusky's Natural Disasters class at SLU. They might not have any damn water by 2022, no joke.

-Alcohol: forbidden in many parts of the country, thanks to good ol' Islamic law. Granted, the big oil money countries like Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE are pretty lax on foreigners and the oil barons there, but it isn't easy for everyone everywhere there.

It's an extremely wealthy country, one of the highest on a per capita basis because of oil. That will give them the ability to build a lot of stuff quickly, like they have been doing lately. But a place this small, hot, and developing is a weird choice to host this event.

Once we figure out how to build more powerful batteries (to power a car for 500 miles) and also bring down the cost of them -- both not really that far away -- the need for oil will drop dramatically and these little insignificant square miles of desert will go back to being a part of the world where no one wants to be. Until then, let the corruption reign supreme.

[MKE_Billiken]

here is what i found on ESPN. Just a portion of the article...

My link

In comparison to its competitors, the U.S. presentation, touching on the usual inane fare about being multicultural and professing how much the country loves the game, looked timid and was marred by gaffes. Morgan Freeman accidentally skipped a page of his speech and interrupted himself to correct it; several people misspoke and all speeches but Freeman's were flat and uninspired -- most notably former President Bill Clinton's meandering talk about many things other than the World Cup, including his foundation's work. Then there was the ill-advised spell when the slouching Gulati nixed the dais embraced by everybody else and paced around, giving his speech through a hand-held microphone.

But regardless of its flaws, the presentation, as indeed did the entire bid campaign, focused on the U.S. as a practical, flexible (18 World Cup-ready cities to choose from!) and profitable choice. It was eminently clear that the U.S. had chosen to appeal to the bean counters, rather than those voting from the heart. Many of the talking points revolved around the record number of tickets sold when the U.S. held the '94 World Cup -- while steering clear of having hosted so recently, the second-biggest strike against the 2022 bid. Then the U.S. tried to induce salivation by hyping the potential riches flowing forth from sponsorship and broadcast rights, while pointing out that the necessary stadiums, airports, train links and hotels exist and are operational.

Ultimately, Qatar, which had been in a dead heat with the U.S. according to insiders and bookmakers, ran a stirring campaign, offering FIFA what it so craves: a new market. The tiny oil-fueled state's beautiful proposition was reflected in a presentation that blew the U.S.'s out of the water aesthetically and emotionally. "When?" one of the stunning videos asked. When would the Arabs finally get the tournament of tournaments?

[JettFlight5]

Heck, we don't even bribe well anymore.

[JMM28]

another example of how everyone hates America.

jealous a-holes

No nono. Nobody hates us. Remember they would love us when we elected Barack Obama! Oh wait....

[moytoy12]

Heck, we don't even bribe well anymore.

Probably because we tried to bribe with "I.O.U. $80,000,000. xoxo, The U.S. of friggin' A." written on the back of a napkin.

[Clock_Tower]

I love to watch World Cup soccer but that's about it. Sure, I'll watch an occasional game on TV, and yes I played as a kid and even into high school, my kids both play soccer, I usually make 1 SLU game each year... so I am a bigger soccer fan than most American sports fans but I still laugh at soccer in the US and recall them installing grass indoors in Detroit's dome (or was that Minnesota) last time they came in 1994!!

[slufanskip]

I love to watch World Cup soccer but that's about it. Sure, I'll watch an occasional game on TV, and yes I played as a kid and even into high school, my kids both play soccer, I usually make 1 SLU game each year... so I am a bigger soccer fan than most American sports fans but I still laugh at soccer in the US and recall them installing grass indoors in Detroit's dome (or was that Minnesota) last time they came in 1994!!

I didn't get why you still laugh at soccer in the US?

[Bizziken]

Sepp Blatter is one of the most uninformed individuals on the planet. He is only concerned about his legacy, and believes that having World Cups in Africa, Russia, and the Middle East for the first time will cement his reputation as one of the best FIFA Presidents ever...