England: See World Cup in 2030, maybe

I almost composed my article for the result of the 2018 bid as “Modern Football Back Home”, and I believe many media in England had the same idea.

However that type of title never turns up as England lost the 2018 World Cup host to Russia, gaining only two votes at the first round. The next chance for England to host the World Cup will be in 2030, when the world sporting event will go back to Europe.

Massive disappointment across England

Fans of football in England are so disappointed that they almost lost the bid which they think was already in their pocket before the bid was announced, as the England seemed to be enjoying several reasons to believe that it will win.

“After all the politiking, millions of pounds and bringing in the big-guns for the England 2018 bid , we manage TWO votes out of 22! Shocking!” Said a fan named 2yyiam on Twitter.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter announcing the 2018 bid result

Not only general fans, several big names have also joined the team of disappointment.

Prince William, as a member of the bidding team and one of the presenters for England at Zurich today, says, “I’m very disappointed, as are the rest of the team.”

The BBC also reveals that British Prime Minister David Cameron shares his feeling after being defeated, by saying, “I think, according to Fifa, we had the best technical bid, the best commercial bid. No-one could identify any risks coming to England. But it turns out that’s not enough.”

Skepticism on FIFA rises

After the disappointing result was announced by the existing president of FIFA Sepp Blatter, the world football governing body becomes the target to blame at once.

Skepticism on FIFA spreads among demoralised fans.

“FIFA is just a joke.” Says a fan who talks on BBC 5’s evening programme.

Another fan on Radio 5’s programme Phil claims that FIFA is not assessing what they are supposed to assess concerning a World Cup host candidate, by saying, “We have all stadiums here, but they are not interested in it. ”

A fan called Rogan says that FIFA has not considered the football culture  that England boasts and that “we have the enthusiasm even before the FIFA was born”.

FIFA under fire after England lost the bid

England 2018 bid chief executive Andy Anson is far from satisfied as England did not even get across the first hurdle, saying that it is “pretty disheartening”, according to the BBC.

He has also criticised FIFA’s decision of announcing two bid results at the same time, saying, “It inevitably led to people with votes in 2018 doing deals with people involved in 2022.”

The media influence

As FIFA has become the largest target of disappointed England fans, the media seems to be less blamed than they were earlier this week after the BBC documentary revealing corruption in FIFA was released on Monday.

Several fans on BBC Radio 5’s evening programme said that it was not all the media’s fault as England lost the bid.

However some fans still believe that it is the media who have at least negatively impacted England’s bid.

“They are irresponsible,” said a fan named Phil. “They can write whatever they want. The timing wasn’t right. “

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Five Reasons to Believe England Will Win 2018 Bid

There is no such a place like England who is so passionate – nearly impatient  – about holding the FIFA World Cup, again. English people have been waiting for too long a time.

The final result for the 2018 World Cup bid is planned to be announced at 1500 GMT on 2 December at Zurich.

Being nervous is not a shame. But there are more reasons to be confident instead.

No. 1 Economy

This is a word everybody in Europe is trying to avoid during a time of austerity, as each bite of it feels like a needle punching on the skin.

Yet this is the topic that FIFA, the world football governing body can hardly ignore when assessing candidates for the World Cup.

Indeed England is not immune from the recession, as the British government tries to lift the country from economic difficulty by promoting spending cuts plans.

But neither do other candidates escape from it.

Netherlands-Belgium, Russia and Spain-Portugal are also suffering from the global economic depression which triggered by the financial crisis in 2007.

Therefore to this point, all candidates seem to be at similar levels.

England may enjoy a bit of advantage concerning revenue generation, as it is the only country that is assumed to fully meet FIFA’s revenue target.

According to The Sun, an economic report indicates that England is the only candidate that can strike 100 percent of revenue in all five categories: ticketing, media rights, licensing, hospitality and sponsorship, with Spain-Portugal at 91 percent, Holland-Belgium at 87 percent and Russia at 86 percent.

No. 2 The effect of 2012 Olympic Games

Never ever underestimate the effect of the Olympic Games, as it not only brings billions of pounds of revenue, but also bears the chance of boosting the credibility of the host country.

In terms of infrastructure, London has done much for its 2012 hospitality concerning public transport, information technology and communication, stadiums and security.

London will be considered as an epitome of England’s capability of holding a world-level sporting event.

The last time people see Russia and Spain hold a sporting event equivalent to World Cup can date back to the 1980 and 1992 Olympic Games. Russia was still a member of the Soviet Union, while Spain has not even entered the euro zone.

Holland and Belgium used to cooperate in the 2000 European Cup, which is ten years ago.

No. 3 The football culture

As the birthplace of modern football, England boasts the best football atmosphere in Europe.

It is not surprising to see a family of football fans in England, not to mention a small local football team can also have thousands of supporters who will attend their team’s matches regardless of any extreme weathers.

The Premier League is one of the most successful football leagues in the world, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool as the “Big Four” boasting worldwide popularity.

The deep football culture also leaves England well-prepared modern stadiums and affiliated facilities, which have already experienced tests of big events.

No. 4 The star effect

The England 2018 bidding team is all-star. Listen to these names: David Beckham, Alan Shearer, David Cameron, Prince William…Each of them can easily occupy people’s attention. Now they are working as a team.

Well-recognised images can of course not guarantee a win, but it can surely reflect the passion of a country for the World Cup and attract enough media exposure.

The BBC could help England win the 2018 World Cup

Russia may suffer from the stand-back of its Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as he recently declared that the 2018 bidding is “unscrupulous competition”.

No. 5 BBC Documentary

BBC is under severe criticism after it released a documentary about the bidding scandal of FIFA on its Panorama programme on Monday.

Angry Fans and officials are saying that BBC’s bad timing of putting the documentary on air may ruin England’s 2018 bid by pointing the fire straight at members of the committee.

However this controversial move can also help England to win the bid, as it may reflect a country’s integrity and its attitude towards corruption.

Why “unpatriotic” BBC might help England win 2018 bid

How powerful are media today? John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Tiger Woods will say that they are ruthless and devil-cursed monsters that can bite you till your reputation is ruined.

England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson may share with them the same idea, as he accused the BBC‘s plan of being “unpatriotic” of releasing a documentary about the bidding scandal of 2018 World Cup just two days before the result will be announced on 2 December by the world football governing body FIFA.

But don’t forget one plain fact, the media are not always angels of darkness. In many cases they are two-edged swords, which means they also bear the capability to make things right.

Integrity of a nation

Whatever event the BBC covers, or wherever the BBC goes, there is one thing that cannot be changed – it is a British media, with well-known journalistic impartiality and independence.

Therefore to a large extent, its voice will be quoted as how the Britain as a nation thinks in an impartial and independent way.

Its plan to put the investigative documentary on the Panorama programme can be considered as a behaviour that proves its duty to the truth, again.

Rather than damaging the bid, what the BBC has planned to do can add more credits to the integrity of Britain by showing that the nation is not trying to avoid some facts that may sabotage the whole plan, that the nation has realised what is right and what is wrong.

The BBC could help England win the 2018 World Cup

Conversely, Mr. Andy Anson’s public accusation sounds more like a defense, actually a very weak one for what they and the FIFA both know that could be true.

Avoidance rather than frankness will only amplify the deficit of confidence that England has for 2018.

The “cold turkey” therapy

Like drugs, a scandal can be equivalently stubborn and hard to tackle with gradual and mild ways. To finish the pain, sometimes the “cold turkey” is necessary.

Like what Margaret Thatcher did to the British economy in the 1980s, the scandal saga about the 2018 bid needs a cold and quick finish, although it may not taste quite sweet at the very beginning. But it is better than suffering from chronic diseases.

The BBC has done the England bidding team a great favour by opening Pandora’s Box once and ever.

If there is really something negative happened, the release of the documentary will make a closure for the saga. On the morning of the next day, England should be largely relieved from the unbearable moral burden.

After all, the FIFA is judging the “soft” and “hard” power of a candidate country on a whole scale. A scandal may leave England stained a little but it will not erase the long football history and its preparation for the World Cup.

One step to the cap for Jay Bothroyd

England manager Fabio Capello released his squad for Wednesday’s friendly game against France at Wembley Stadium. Jay Bothroyd is about to receive his first cap for England if he made his appearace.

The striker from Cardiff City has showed a phenomenal condition as he scored for his club in the last consecutive games.

If Bothroyd manage to stand on the pitch at Wembley, he will become the first serving Championship player who play for the national team.

Jay Bothroyd’s inclusion in Capello’s squad has aroused enormous welcome and excitement among Cadiff City fans.

“Well Done Jay,” says one fan named “Roath Bluebird” on a forum of Cardiff City supporters, “Definitely deserved on this seasons performances.”

Still one step away

However the 28-year-old striker still needs some luck to prevent his cap from being blown away as competition on the attacking line is severe.

Together with Bothroyd, Fabio Capello also calls in Andy Caroll, the 21-year-old striker from Newcastle United, “the one for the future for England” in the words of the manager.

Gabriel Agbonlahor  from West Ham United and Peter Crouch from Tottenham Hotspur are also included in the squad as Capello’s attacking options.

While star striker Wayne Rooney from Manchester United is absent due to injury.

The international friendly game of England versus France will kick off at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday 17th November at Wembley Stadium.

This is also the final appearance of England in the international games in the year 2010.

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England squad in full:

Foster (Birmingham), Hart (Man City), Green (West Ham); Gibbs (Arsenal), Cole (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Jagielka (Everton), Lescott (Man City), Richards (Man City), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Smalling (Man Utd); Walcott (Arsenal), Wilshere (Arsenal), Young (Aston Villa), Gerrard (Liverpool), Barry (Man City), Johnson (Man City), Milner (Man City), Henderson (Sunderland); Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Bothroyd (Cardiff), Carroll (Newcastle), Crouch (Tottenham).