From: Brody at MiamiSportsBlog.com.
I couldn’t hate this more.
Yes! Tonight we don’t have to pay for sex!
FIFA announced yesterday that the “rotation policy” it had for World Cup sites will be abanoned starting with the 2018 event. The current rotation system would have had the 2018 World Cup being played in North America or the Caribbean. England has made it known they will bid for their first World Cup since 1966. England is expected to be joined by bids from the U.S., Mexico, China, Australia, and the mythical land of Benelux (some sort of hybrid super-nation of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg… either that or a KIA).
FIFA President Sepp Blatter says he has no preference for where the cup will be held, but did have this to say about a possible bid from England:
“I’m supporting all the bidders, but the England bid is, I have to say, a very pleasant bid because it is not today they have said they start to be interested in the World Cup 2018, it’s several years ago, especially when they lost against Germany [for the 2006 tournament].
“England is the motherland of football, they have the best professional league. But I doubt if they have the best national team and this is also something very important to organise a World Cup.”
Don’t let the whole “I doubt if they have the best national team…” thing fool you. This entire structure was abandoned so the World Cup could be given to England for 2018. I love how this changes just in time for the Americas to get another shot at hosting the world’s greatest tournament. The rotation policy was the best thing to happen to the tournament. South Korea, U.S.A., South Africa… these sites may have never seen the World Cup if not for this policy, now they never will.
Its not enough that England gets to see the worlds best football every weekend in the Premiership, they will now get to host a World Cup after having two prior cups in their backyard. France in 1998 and Germany in 2006 were a hop, skip and a train-ride for the Redcoats.
Here is the explanation from a British apologist:
Waaaaaa, England hasn’t hosted the games in 40 years…. waaaaa… America had it in 1994. Waaaaa….”
Get out of here, if you wanted to see your national team from England play, you just had to go down the street to France in ‘98 or Germany last year. According to Google maps, the drive from London to Paris is under 6 hours. Approximately an hour less than what it takes to get from Miami to Tallahassee to watch the ‘Canes beat the ‘Noles (ooohhh… subversive dig on FSU in an unrelated blog post!). Or you could drive to the games in Berlin in under 12 hours… not that anyone drives in Europe. That’s right! Easy train routes.
And you get to take the Chunnel!
The rotation policy was the best way to look at it, because FIFA was awarding the World Cup to certain continents, irregardless if a certain country had hosted the games recently.
Its not enough that Europe gets to see the best pro teams (Premiership, Serie A, Bundesliga, Vandersexxx, etc…), and they get the EURO 2008, now every World Cup will be in a European nation. Brazil, hope you enjoy that 2014 World Cup, because you won’t see one again til the rest of the world has personal teleporters (or you get indoor plumbing… whichever comes first… my money’s on teleporters).
Coming Soon: Doors!
At least they have the hottest fans in the World’s favorite sport. It’s called “Joga Bonito” for a reason.
!Oh meu deus, eu quero a osso a!
I love the world’s football, and if you watched the U.S. in the U-20 World Cup this summer (and I know there are at least 4 of us), you know that the U.S. soccer team is among the best young squads in the world; and we’re only getting better. By the World Cup in 2010, the U.S. team should be competitive with the likes of Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and the ‘Du Brothers (Freddy Adu and Maurice Edu). By 2014 and 2018 hopefully we’ll be lifted of the Landon Donovan curse (don’t get me started on that guy, he is to soccer what Andy Roddick is to tennis).
Sorry Europe, I know you think you own soccer, but it is the world’s sport. Even though you pay for all the good players, and have more leagues than the University of Florida has assault rifles (oh damn, I did it again!), the sport is not yours. Stop Bogarting all the damn World Cups. You’re worse than my roommate with the Wheat Thins.
Either way, if North America doesn’t get the 2018 games, I’m rooting for Benelux. I can’t wait for soccer in the land of haunted forests and magical pixies.
Welcome to beautiful Benelux!
