Large country, small nation to host World Cup

In a stunning pair of decisions Thursday, FIFA, world soccer‘s governing body, rejected far stronger bids from England and the U.S. and instead selected Russia and Qatar to be the host countries for the Men‘s World Cup in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

The announcement, made in Switzerland by Sepp Blatter, FIFA‘s president, came after almost two years of sometimes acrimonious competition among the nine nations seeking one or the other of the tournaments.

”We go to new lands,” Blatter said of the twin decisions.

Russia fended off rival England, as well as joint bids by Spain/Portugal and the Netherlands/Belgium to win the 2018 vote. The vote tallies were not immediately available, but Russia was said to have clinched the honor on only the second round of voting.

”You will never regret (the decision); let us make history together,” Igor Shuvalov, Russia‘s first deputy prime minister, told those gathered at the Zurich Messezentrum.

”The World Cup will help us overcome all the tragic days and tragic history of the last century we have suffered.”

Russia, which also will stage the 2014 Winter Olympics, will have to spend billions of dollars on upgrading its infrastructure, including the building of 13 stadiums in the projected host cities.

Although Vladimir Putin, Russia‘s prime minister, opted not to be in Zurich, the country‘s case was well made the likes of Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of English Premier League soccer team Chelsea, and by Russia‘s standout player, Arsenal midfielder Andrei Arshavin.

Staging the World Cup in Russia, Arshavin said, ”would open up new minds and new hearts for the game.”

The sheer size of the country and the difficulty of getting around it had been seen as acting against Russia‘s bid, but FIFA‘s 22 executive committee members chose instead to cast ”a legacy vote,” believing the World Cup could help boost the country while at the same time expanding soccer‘s footprint.

The same was true for Qatar, and it was odd that immediately after giving the 2018 tournament to one of the world‘s largest countries, FIFA turned around and awarded the following World Cup to one of the smallest.

England, which according to some reports was eliminated in the first round of voting for 2018, had also sent a trio of celebrities to plead its cause. They included Prince William, the heir to the throne, David Cameron, the prime minister, and Galaxy midfielder David Beckham.
Source:punchng