December is a big month globally as well as in the realms of the beautiful game. To start off, 1st Dec is the World Aids day and the following day is a day all football lovers will be eagerly awaiting.
Thursday 2nd December, the FIFA 2018 and 2022 hosts will be known. Of course if you have been following this keenly, then you will know that the 2 favourites for both competitions are England and Qatar.
It is becoming very apparent that England will win the bid to host the 2018 tournament, however, Qatar’s 2022 bid is not so certain. The Middle East nation is up against USA, and Australia all considered strong bidders.
England are however not taking any chances and have acquired the services of the Prince William to better market and seal the bid. The Prince has the media a buzz with his engagement to his fiancee Kate Middleton and the the LOC will milk their publicity for all its worth.
England 2018 chief executive however refused to confirm or deny the allegations when questioned.
“He’s done a number of things throughout this process already,”
“When he came to Rome for the Champions League final, he spent a lot of time with various UEFA people.
“He was there with other visiting dignitaries and he clearly was the one that everyone was most pleased to meet.
“So, he does have a lot of strong relationships and he’s willing again to do whatever he needs to support the bid.”
England’s hopes rest on the 24 man committee who will decide which nation gets the chance to host the world’s biggest sporting event. It is quite certain whether FIFA replaced the 2 executive committee members who were involved in vote trading, however it is expected that that will not affect the outcome of the vote on Thursday.
Just to give my two cents worth, Australia should win the bid for the 2022 tournament. They say a change is as good as a rest and this would definitely fit the description.
Photo credit: from republicoftogo.com
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