Posted on 12/02/2010 8:32:48 AM PST by Obadiah
Qatar was selected as host of the 2022 World Cup, beating out a bid by the United States to bring soccer's showcase back to America for the first time since 1994.
FIFA's executive committee choose Qatar over the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea in a secret vote Thursday.
Minutes earlier, Russia was announced as host of the 2018 tournament. It was chosen over England and joint bids by Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium.
Qatar, the smallest nation to host the World Cup, used its 30-minute presentation to underline how the tournament could unify a region ravaged by conflict. Presenters also promised to overcome summer heat of up to 130 degrees by air conditioning outdoor stadiums it will build, then dismantle and give to needy nations.
"Thank you for believing in change, thank you for believing in expanding the game, thank you for giving Qatar a chance," said Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar's bid chairman. "We will not let you down. Youu will be proud of us, you will be proud of the Middle East and I promise you this."
(Excerpt) Read more at bleacherreport.com ...
Oh, brother. Isn't this phrase in disrepute?
The committee is notorious for making selections based upon social tinkering.
Send Obama!
Why would anyone want to bring the “championship” of a “sport” that is at best an exercise in futility to the United States? I guess Obama is just pandering to another of his rather queer constituencies.
Various places around the country made a LOT of money last time we had it here. Think about it, a couple hundred thousand people show up and stay in hotels for a month, eating at restaurants, drinking at bars. That’s a fat wad of cash into the economy.
Good, Soccer sucks.
aaaaaaaaah... Noooooooooooooo!
By then they will have outlawed flying so how is anyone suppose to get there?
I’ll say it.....Bush’s fault (psst.. weren’t our command headquarters for the Iraq invasion in Qatar?)
I disagree — soccer can be a lot of fun if you’re in the right pub drinking and know who you’re supposed to be cheering for. There’s quite a bit to be said for a game where there’s a lot going on but if you have to hit the head you’re probably not going to miss anything of much importance. It also benefits from being easy to follow while you’re on your third or fourth pint.
It also lends itself particularly well to drunken expressions of patriotic sentiment.
I’ve always said, however, that the reason it will never catch on here in the US is that its format simply does not lend itself to frequent television commercials.
ROFL.
I’m kind of tired of us depending on tourism to pump up the economy, and at best it would be a wash with yet another round of public-financed sports palaces. Let the oil-rich emirates, less money to spread to the terrorists.
I was invited to go to a soccer game last month, but I opted out for watching the fresh paint dry on the kitchen wall.
FIFA still remembers that the last time they awarded the World Cup to the U.S. in 1994, some of the games were held in Detroit...
Wasn't Eric Holder in Switzerland to secure the World Cup 2022?
This has to be the third or fourth time this administration has failed in this type of endeavor. The U.S. has no world standing under this leadership, which, of course, is an oxymoron.
Well, now Holder can focus on of his attention on stopping Wikileaks from releasing further documents. /sarc
Very good point. I think there's a lot of truth to that right now, but over time I believe television commercials are going to become a smaller revenue source for sports broadcasts -- and soccer STILL will never catch on here in the U.S.
I do understand the appeal of the game, but there are far too many flaws that would need to get corrected before Americans will ever accept it as a major sport. And I believe one fatal flaw of the game from an American perspective is that we simply can't comprehend a sport where the use of one of the human body's most important physical assets (the hands) is absolutely prohibited.
I guess FIFA officials will get free petroleum based and natural gas fuels for life now.
Clinton needed one of his flunkies with him!
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