I don't know who will have seen it, but Jack Warner, a vice-president of FIFA, has come out with some outrageous comments over the possibility of England hosting the 2018 World Cup.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ls/6939170.stm
Quote:
"If the World Cup were to go to Europe, I'm quite sure, with the English luck as it is, they won't get it," Warner told BBC World Service.
"There are moves to give it to England. I must fight that."
Warner, a member of the world football body's executive committee since 1983, added: "It will be Italy, Spain, or even France who will get the World Cup if it goes to Europe.
"Nobody in Europe likes England. England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football."
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This contrasts with the opinion of some guy named Franz Beckenbauer....
Quote:
In July another Fifa executive committee member and former World Cup winner, German legend Franz Beckenbauer, offered his support to England hosting the 2018 World Cup.
He told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek: "There is no better country in Europe to host the World Cup in 2018. England is the favourite."
He added: "The most important thing is to end the rotation and bring the tournament back to Europe.
"The Premier League at the moment is the best league in Europe and the stadiums are outstanding.
"In my opinion, there is only one very serious candidate and it is England."
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The entire situation is disgraceful. Warner was exposed a while back by Panorama for corrupt selling of tickets for the 2006 World Cup - and FIFA hasn't even enforced their punishment of him for this. Backhanders galore as well, although notoriously difficult to prove.
I read a suggestion on the 606 part of the BBC website
to e-mail FIFA, so I've done just that.
Quote:
Sirs,
I find the comments of Mr Warner regarding the chances of England hosting the 2018 World Cup quite disgusting. His suggestion that "It will be Italy, Spain, or even France who will get the World Cup if it goes to Europe" and that "Nobody in Europe likes England. England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football".
Not only are his comments rude but they are also a great insult to the United Kingdom, and England in particular. The Premier League is the biggest league in the world and many of its clubs have either recently completed new stadiums (e.g. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Manchester City's City of Manchester Stadium) or the planned new stadium at Stanley Park for Liverpool FC. I have not even mentioned the recently-completed Wembley Stadium, the largest stadium in the world with every seat under cover.
Quite how Mr Warner can say that Italy (1990), Spain (1982) or France (1998) should host the World Cup ahead of England, who last hosted the World Cup in 1966, is beyond me; it makes no sense whatsoever.
I hope to hear from you soon with an explanation of Mr Warner's comments.
Yours faithfully
Andrew Savage
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Fairly reasonable I thought, given my initial reaction when I first read what he said. ****.