2014 FIFA World Cup

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Template:Future sport The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup and is scheduled to take place in South America. Brazil is the only country bidding to host the competition. World football body FIFA Executive Committee is expected to reach a decision on the host country in November 2007.[1]

Background

On March 7 2003, the world football body FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in South America for the first time since Argentina hosted the 1978 FIFA World Cup, in line with its policy of rotating the right to host the World Cup amongst different confederations. On June 3, 2003, CONMEBOL announced that Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia wanted to host the 2014 World Cup finals.[2] By March 17, 2004, the CONMEBOL associations had voted unanimously to adopt Brazil as their sole candidate.[3] Brazil formally declared its candidacy in December 2006 and Colombia did so as well a few days later. The Argentina bid never materialized. On April 11, 2007, Colombia officially withdrew its bid making Brazil the only official candidate to host the event in 2014.[4]

Brazil bid

Brazil is the only remaining official candidate to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup after Colombia withdrew its bid on April 11, 2007. The Brazilian bid was officially launched on December 13, 2006 [5] by Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, who signed the letter of candidacy in Tokyo in the presence of CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz and CONMEBOL general secretary Eduardo De Luca.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated on July 4, 2006 that the 2014 World Cup would probably be held in the country, though he acknowledged in earlier comments that the country did not have any stadia ready for the Cup at the moment. On September 28, he met with the Brazilian President Lula and was quoted as saying he wants the country to prove its capabilities before making a decision. "But the ball is on Brazil's court now," he said [6]. In September 2006, Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva confirmed Blatter's opinion, declaring: "We don’t have any stadium which is in a condition to host World Cup games. We’re going to have to build at least 12 new stadiums in this country.”

Potential host cities are already preparing for the tournament. CBF and government officials have toured many cities and stadia in the latest months, and 18 states have applied to host World Cup matches. However, the actual number of host cities is expected to be much lower, as FIFA stipulates a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten.

On 31 July, 2007, Brazil's bid became official, when the Brazilian Football Confederation president, Mr. Ricardo Teixeira, delivered personally to FIFA president, Mr. Joseph Blatter, a document containing Brazil's hosting stadia and other required information concerning plans in improvevents for general infrastructure and about finances, though more details about this document are unknown. [7]

Early in that day, a list of stadia selected was published by Brazilian media. At least 21 cities were considered intially, but only 18 cities were pre-selected as able to host international football matches. Among the 18 finalist cities, four stadia are under construction or will be built if the right to host is won. The three cities not accepted were Campinas (São Paulo), João Pessoa (Paraíba) and Teresina (Piauí). On 17 August 2007, in a meeting between CBF officials and representatives from the 18 cities, Ricardo Teixeira confirmed the names of five host cities, and left the 13 other to fight for the remaining spots.[8] The list below includes the cities selected by the Brazilian Football Confederation to receive the World Cup (the five confirmed cities are mentioned first): [9] [7]

This list will eventually be narrowed down to meet FIFA's requirement that no more than one host city feature two host stadia. It may also include new stadiums to be built in the next years.

Brazil hosted the 1950 World Cup and has hosted the Copa América four times (1919, 1922, 1949, and 1989).

Other possibilities

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has also confirmed that candidates from other continents would be considered should no South American bid meet FIFA's expected level of quality.[10] These candidate countries include:

Australia

South Australian premier Mike Rann put forward a proposal for Australia to host the 2014 event. He was backed by Prime Minister John Howard who said that Australia has proven it can host world sporting events. Football Federation Australia President Frank Lowy has also expressed considerable interest in the proposal and is amid negotiations to formally put forward Australia's bid. [11] Australia is now part of the Asian Football Confederation which has not hosted since 2002, having in January 2006 left the Oceania Football Confederation which has never hosted. Despite Australia's large number of capable stadiums (because of Melbourne and Sydney's recent Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games) and its good performance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, many believe Australia may have to wait until 2018 or later before it will stand a chance of hosting.

Australia hosted the OFC Nations Cup twice (1998, and 2004), and four-way co-hosted once (1996).

Despite its population of just over 21 million, Australia is endowed with an excellent lodging and transportation infrastructure as well as a number of large stadiums, many which have been recently re-developed and upgraded. One problem is that many of these are oval shaped, for Australian Rules Football and Cricket. Consequently spectators would be much further away from the pitch than is normal in football. The Telstra Dome in Melbourne can be converted to a rectangular shape.

Available stadiums that already meet FIFA's 40,000-capacity requirement are:

If Co-hosted with New Zealand

Eden Park (Auckland - 45,000) - Rectangular Shaped

Current FIFA policy mandates that only one city can have two stadiums hosting matches in a given World Cup and that the number of host cities be between eight and ten. Five cities already have stadiums large enough to host World Cup fixtures. To meet FIFA guidelines, an Australian bid would require the construction or renovation of stadiums in at least three more cities. The federal capital Canberra is the most likely to be included in a bid for symbolic reasons. Gold Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong, the other three largest cities of the list (6th, 7th and 9th respectively), are likely candidates as well. Political considerations may also lead to the selection of Hobart and Darwin in order to distribute the infrastructural benefits of a World Cup across all Australian states.

United States

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has expressed interest since the 2002 FIFA World Cup to offer a bid for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Given the support soccer now has in the U.S., USSF former President Dr. S. Robert Contiguglia is confident that the U.S. can put together a very strong bid. [12] The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, plus the 1999 and 2003 Women's World Cups (the latter on short notice, as original host China was forced to relinquish hosting duties due to the SARS outbreak in that country). The U.S. has also hosted the Gold Cup all eight times it has been contested, serving as sole host six times (1991, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2007) and cohost with Mexico twice (1993, 2003).

The U.S. has no shortage of stadiums that could host a World Cup with little or no renovation. For example, every stadium in the 32-team National Football League, dozens of college football stadiums, and many baseball stadiums have well over the 40,000 minimum seating required for hosting World Cup finals matches. Not all of these stadiums would necessarily be usable for a World Cup:

  • Many of these stadiums, especially those used for college football, are designed around the American football field, which is 15 metres narrower than the minimum for a FIFA international-standard pitch.[13] However, most new or newly renovated stadiums have been designed so that they can host international football matches. Also, in 1994, New York City's Giants Stadium's pitch was narrower than FIFA regulations[14].
  • Many baseball stadiums could fairly easily accommodate a football pitch, but the optimal seating configuration is relatively different from that for any code of football. However, baseball stadiums have played host to international football matches in the past along with college football's postseason bowl games. Many stadiums were built in the 1960s and early 1970s for professional teams in both the NFL and Major League Baseball (see especially cookie cutter stadium), but they eventually proved less than optimal for both sports, and almost all of them have now been replaced by separate stadiums for the two sports. Regardless, there are enough stadiums in the United States where this issue will likely be moot.
  • Many U.S. stadiums have at least one large bank of bleacher seating instead of the individual chairback seats currently mandated by FIFA. However, this may not be as large a problem as it may seem at first. Converting a bleacher section to all-seater configuration is not overly technically demanding; Germany designed many of the standing terraces in its large stadiums to be convertible to all-seated configuration for international matches, including the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Also, many newly built venues are all-seater, though the Rose Bowl could not currently host World Cup matches under this condition.
  • An increasing number of stadiums in the U.S. have installed new-generation artificial surfaces such as FieldTurf, which FIFA does not allow for World Cup finals play (though it is allowed for all other international matches). However, the majority of large stadiums in the U.S. still have grass surfaces. Even for the stadiums with artificial turf, installing a grass pitch for World Cup play is a relatively simple matter; the U.S. did this indoors at the Pontiac Silverdome and outdoors at Giants Stadium for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Former bids

Colombia

Colombia formally declared its candidacy on December 18, 2006 and withdrew it on April 11, 2007[15].

The president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, had initially announced on July 15, 2006 that Colombia would submit a bid[16]. During his speech at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, Uribe said: "By seeing how things were done to organise these Games, I think Colombia is capable of hosting a football World Cup. I'm sure we will achieve it and will do it very well." Vice President Francisco Santos Calderón was in charge of the project. Colombia had been set to be the host of the 1986 World Cup but withdrew to the benefit of Mexico because of economic issues, disagreements with FIFA, and concerns about the unstable situation in Colombia at the time. Colombia has hosted the Copa América once (2001). However, on February 27, 2007, FIFA president Sepp Blatter appeared to discard any Colombian chances of hosting the event: "Colombia is more of a public relations presentation of the country to say that we are alive not only in other headlines but also in football," Blatter said[17], implicitly referring to the country's drugs and crime problems.

Argentina/Chile

It was suggested that Argentina and Chile could launch a joint bid but this possibility is now highly unlikely after the withdrawal of Colombia's bid and the confirmation of a strong consensus within CONMEBOL to back Brazil's bid. On the topic of co-hosting, Blatter advised that FIFA would prefer a single candidate which fulfilled the requirements.[18].

Argentina hosted the 1978 World Cup and has hosted the Copa América eight times (1916, 1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946, 1959, and 1987).

Chile hosted the 1962 World Cup and has hosted the Copa América six times (1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955, and 1991).

References

  1. ^ "Clear declaration to defend the autonomy of sport" (Press release). FIFA. 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2006-12-06. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Argentina, Brazil and Colombia Want 2014 World Cup
  3. ^ Blatter reiterates wish that the 2014 World Cup be in Brazil
  4. ^ Brazil confirms bid - Colombia withdraws
  5. ^ http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/index/0,2527,127697,00.html?articleid=127697
  6. ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6010888
  7. ^ a b "Brasil formaliza candidatura à Copa de 2014 (Portuguese)". UOL.com.br. Retrieved 2007-07-31. Cite error: The named reference "brform14" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ Globoesporte.com
  10. ^ Americans look to stage 2018 World Cup
  11. ^ "Plea for Socceroo day off". SMH. 2006-06-16. Retrieved 2006-06-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "USA Target 2014 World Cup". BBC. 2002-06-08. Retrieved 2006-07-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Laws of the Game 2006" (PDF). FIFA. July 2006. pp. p. 6. Retrieved 2007-06-22. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
    While the Laws of the Game allow for pitches in adult matches to be 50 yards (45 metres) wide, which is actually narrower than the 53⅓ yards (49 m) of the American football field, they also specify a minimum width of 70 yd (64 m) for use in international matches.
  14. ^ Paul Gardner's The Simplest Game
  15. ^ Colombia retira su candidatura para ser sede del Mundial de fútbol del 2014
  16. ^ "Columbia to bid for World Cup". football365.com. 2006-07-16. Retrieved 2006-07-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ FIFA can’t see far ahead in search for World Cup venues
  18. ^ "President gives press briefing". FIFAworldcup.com. 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2006-06-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

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