The Sun-Herald

FIFA, Corruption, and Lies

Is Australia ready to play games to host 2018 World Cup?

There's much for Football Federation Australia, the Federal government, and the country as a whole, to learn from England's failed attempt to host the 2006 World Cup.

None of it is about stadium construction, public transport, smiling volunteers, or sunny weather in the middle of winter (when a down under World Cup would be scheduled).

This week, an email landed in my inbox from Andrew Jennings, a British colleague whose investigations into the International Olympic Committee and FIFA have become the stuff of journalistic legend.

You can visit his website here.

Some people compare Jennings to a moral crusader, a shining light in a fog of facts and misinformation, and one of not many of his profession prepared to take on powerful sporting organisations to expose abuse of powers and outright corruption.

Others, and that includes FIFA president Sepp Blatter who has banned Jennings from any FIFA events, might consider him to be a delusional irritating nut case.

Jack Warner, the powerful FIFA executive committee member exposed and shamed for on-selling his country's ticket allocation for the 2006 World Cup for profit is certainly no fan.

Warner's response to questions about the issue was to spit on the journalist.

Maybe Jennings hit a sensitive spot.

Warner, whose power comes from being boss of Trinidad and Tobago's football association, was hauled before FIFA's Ethics Committee and asked to explain his ticket sell off.

SBS TV's Les Murray is a member of the committee that found Warner had been a very naughty boy. Warner was sent upstairs to face his fellow Executive Committee members to be reprimanded.

The punishment for blatantly abusing his privileged position?

FIFA's top bosses told him to be more careful with Trinidad and Tobago's ticket allocation in future.

You can read about the outcome here.

Jennings' latest email concerned some of the challenges facing England's bid for the 2018 World Cup, the same event that Australia is planning a run for.

England's football history, position in Europe, so-called Best League In The World, logistical infrastructure and economy all mean nothing, the theory went, if the bid was not politically savvy.

A recent Jennings' TV program for the BBC explained that the England bid for 2006 included sending out the all-star national team to play diplomatic friendlies against lightweights Saudi Arabia and Malta, games that perhaps added a new twist to the term "meaningless" for non-competitive matches.

It was also explained the England FA paid for Thailand's national team coach (an Englishman).

You can read about other issues the program addressed here.

None of this is illegal nor corrupt but shows the tips and favours a bidding nation - like Australia - may have to participate in.

Of course, England didn't win the rights to host 2006. It didn't even make the final round.

With a little help from Charlie Dempsey, formerly the Oceania Football Confederation's comedic boss, South Africa was pipped by Germany.

(For those who have forgotten or never knew, here's a reminder of why Australia wanted out of Oceania for so long.)

Jennings' BBC program also reveals that part of Germany's bid-winning strategy was for its government to set up business and arms - as in military weapons - deals with Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and South Korea.

In other words, thanks for the soccer coach but we'll take a few bombs instead, anytime.

These are the sort of games Australia - not just Frank Lowy and the FFA - will have to put on the shin pads for if we're serious about 2018.

Last week's column about the potential 2018 bid met with many responses about daring to dream and if we don't try we will never get any where, etc, etc.

These were all admirable sentiments.

When John O'Neill began his stint as boss of the FFA he came with a top pedigree in Australian sport. He'd run the Australian Rugby Union and overseen a rugby union World Cup hosted by Australia.

But he told me on his return from his first FIFA meeting that he'd seen nothing like it.

He wasn't just talking about the buffet spread.

(Having attended some FIFA knees-ups, I can vouch for the abundant buffet).

O'Neill's admission, coming from one of the country's most experienced administrators, was revealing.

Australia's current influence within FIFA is relatively lightweight.

We have four positions on committees; one filled by Les Murray here.

You can see Frank Lowy's position here.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley's here.

And former Player's Union boss John Didulica here.

We're going to have start shaking a lot of hands at FIFA parties over the next few years.

The question is, do we want to get involved in the political machinations to successfully bid for 2018?

And, just as importantly, do we even care about allegations of corruption, power, and lies?