The contenders for the 2018 World Cup are
Holland/Belgium,
England,
Russia, and Portugal/Spain. South Korea is bidding for 2022 (as will be Russia if they don't get 2018). All of the above have impressive displays at the Soccerex in Rio this week. No one thinks the Dutch have a chance. England is over-rated and probably too straight laced for FIFA. Russia is willing to play FIFA's game and spend every last petro-ruble to get the World Cup. The Korean bid is predicated on the idea that the World Cup will bring North and South together. I think that Russia paid the North Koreans to fire some scuds over to the South a couple of weeks before FIFA's big vote to make sure that the
Father Motherland gets its Cup.
It makes perfect sense but it's only a theory.
More coming about Soccerex on Thursday and Friday.
1 comment:
Obviously you don't see the US as a contender. Why not? I don't know if you've been following the statements of Don Garber, but he's been making noise lately about the MLS "considering" a switch to a fall-spring calendar, and exploring "simulated" promotion and relegation. No one takes either of these things seriously--it's understood that he's trying to appease FIFA.
--david
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