Warner boosts Australian World Cup bid; FFA confident in campaign

(WFI) Influential FIFA Executive Committee member Jack Warner rates Australia’s chances of hosting the World Cup as “excellent”.

Warner, who has publicly criticized England’s World Cup bid in recent weeks, made comments about Australia’s bid at a reception hosted by Football Federation Australia CEO Ben Buckley at the Australian High Commission in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

The function, held in the closing days of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, was attended by FIFA guests and members of the Australian bid.

“Australia being allegedly 'far away' is a bit of a ridiculous statement,” Warner said in the interview on Nigerian television.

“God created the world round for a reason: distance is relative to where you stand. And the Australian continent is nearer to two-thirds of the world's population than most other places. So what's the fuss?"

Warner said he had enjoyed frequent visits to Australia and pointed out that the Sydney 2000 Olympics were the “best ever”, demonstrating the Asian Football Confederation member nation’s ability to “host and manage some of the biggest sporting events in the world with class, expertise and with a dedication to excellence”.

“If there is a country that truly deserves to host the FIFA World Cup, then it is the island continent of Australia,” he said.

Warner added that Australia’s two consecutive qualifications for the World Cup and qualification for the 2010 tournament by New Zealand showed improved performance standards from teams in the South Pacific.

“Just look how Australia has fared in football over the years in football, and now, even your neighbours, New Zealand, have qualified – what a fantastic achievement,” he said.

“Australia is known to be a sporting nation and a country of happy and warm-hearted people. “If you ask me, Australia has an excellent chance of succeeding with its bid.”

Warner went further, noting that Australian bid team officials were receiving invaluable advice from international advisers.

“Australia has assembled some of the best experts to give you hands-on advice for your strategy. I am impressed with what I see and I know that many of my colleagues are as well,” he said.

In the latest controversy surrounding Warner’s deteriorating relationship with England’s bid, he returned a luxury handbag gifted to his wife, citing the "embarrassment" caused by the subsequent fallout. Warner, one of 24 FIFA executive members who will vote in December next year on the World Cup hosts for 2018 and 2022, is said to influence three of the 13 votes required.

Lowy: Australia can win World Cup bid
Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy says his nation “can match it with England” and won’t leave any stone unturned in his quest to bring the World Cup to Australia.

“I have always said that we wouldn't be in it if I didn't think there was a very realistic chance. We are doing very well overseas with our international advocacy,” Lowy said in an interview with Rupert Murdoch-controlled newspaper The Sunday Telegraph.

“We are meeting people, getting known, presenting our credentials and getting a very warm and encouraging reception. The Australian Foreign Affairs Department is also a great help to us. In Australia, it's a different set of circumstances,” he was quoted as saying.

“First we must get our strategy right, and then we can start getting people involved in, and excited about, our bid.”
Asked whether Australia could “match it with England” and the resources allocated to its 2018 World Cup bid, Lowy replied: “Of course we can.”

Lowy said that while he wanted football to become Australia’s number one sport, that wasn’t what Australia hoped to achieve by hosting the World Cup.

“It would be wonderful for football ... it would be wonderful for Australia. Every time Australia has hosted a major event, it has had a nation-changing effect on the country. This would be the same,” Lowy said.

Praise for bid CEO
The Westfield shopping center tycoon also praised two of his key staffers at the FFA – CEO Ben Buckley and national team coach Pim Verbeek.

Asked to rate Buckley’s performance despite having “big shoes to fill” by succeeding former CEO John O’Neill, Lowy joked: “For a start, Ben is taller so he probably has the bigger shoes.”

“John and Ben are very different people and their time in the role is very different with a different set of circumstances,” Lowy explained.

“John did a very good job when he was with us. I couldn't be more pleased with the job Ben is doing. It is difficult, it is challenging, it is busy. He is also supported by some very good people.”

With Verbeek’s contract expiring at the end of the World Cup next year, Lowy noted his job was to get Australia to the World Cup in 2010 and the Asian Cup in 2011. “The results speak for themselves and I like the results he has achieved so far,” Lowy said.

Written by Anthony Stavrinos  

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