Qatar 2022 Gathers Momentum; Russia 2018 Focuses on Lobbying in South Africa

(ATR) The leader of Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid tells World Football Insider the Gulf state's campaign has gathered momentum.

Qatar was ranked second behind England in WFI's World Cup Bid Power Index published last week, with Russia in third spot and USA fourth. Australia dropped out of the top four from the No.2 position they occupied in the February edition.

Commenting on the bid power index, Qatar bid CEO Hassan Al Thawadi told INSIDER: "We are involved in a race with strong competition, so this kind of positive recognition for our bid and hosting concept demonstrates how far we have come over the past year.

"We are delighted that the Qatar offer is being welcomed, understood and supported. Players and fans will benefit from our compact hosting concept, enabling them to stay in the same base throughout the entire competition."

He added: "Our state-of-the art stadiums, training zones and fan parks will all be cooled by carbon neutral, world leading technology which we will share with other nations. And our modular stadiums will enable us to relocate 170,000 seats to other countries at the end of the World Cup.

"While we feel we have a strong story to tell FIFA, we intend to continue working hard, keep communicating with the global football community and maintain our momentum right up until the FIFA vote in December."

Across 10 categories, England scored 65 out of 100 possible points (up 1 point from the February edition). Qatar followed with 63 (up 2 points), with Russia on 62 and the USA on 61 (both up 1 point). Notching sub-60 scores were Australia, Holland-Belgium, Korea and Spain-Portugal. With 53 points, Japan is languishing well behind.

For the complete World Cup Bid Power Index, click here

Russia focuses on lobbying around FIFA Congress

Russia 2018 CEO Alexey Sorokin told INSIDER that he was pleased the country's efforts "continue to be reflected favourably" in the bid power index rankings.

"The handing over of the bid book [on May 14] was a major milestone on our journey towards the ultimate goal of being awarded the right to host the 2018 or the 2022 FIFA World Cup," he said.

"We are convinced that our bid book also convincingly addresses all areas which FIFA deems crucial for the successful hosting of the World Cup."

Russia's football team failed to qualify for the World Cup but the 2018 bid team intends to make its presence felt in South Africa, he indicated.

Sorokin added: "At present, although we regrettably failed to qualify for South Africa, we are focusing on this event with the FIFA Congress and the Observer Tour, while at the same time making all necessary arrangements for the inspection tour which FIFA will conduct in Russia from 16 to 19 August."

All the nine bidders for the 2018/2022 World Cups will participate in FIFA's bidding expo taking place after the 60th FIFA Congress in Johannesburg on June 10.

Australia seeks bid boost in South Africa

Australia's bid team declined to comment on their slide from second to seventh place in WFI's World Cup Bid Power Index .

In the bid operations and leadership category, the bid power index said: "It's been a shambolic few months for Australia's leadership. Bid chiefs Frank Lowy and Ben Buckley have struggled to win the support of the AFL and other sporting codes.

"The fact that stadiums were only sorted a few days before the bid book handover raises serious questions about Australia's ability to deliver a World Cup. "

A spokesman from the Australia bid told INSIDER today confirmed that Lowy, chairman of the bid and Football Federation Australia, and bid CEO Buckley would be involved in next week's FIFA bidding expo.

Japan eyes development of Asian football market

The bid team from Japan retains confidence in its campaign to land the 2022 World Cup, despite its lowly ranking in the bid power index.

In the bid operations and leadership category, the bid power index said Japan was "struggling to articulate what its pitch stands for or why it deserves a second go", while question marks were also raised about its 208 smiles marketing concept.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter praised the "originality" of the Japanese World Cup bid, which was presented to him via a Sony PSP gaming device in a glass display case, on May 14 in Zurich. But the bid power index added that "such gimmicks mean little to FIFA's decision-makers".

The Japan bid told INSIDER: "Our proposal is to raise the World Cup, in 12 years time, to a next level that will develop and expand the Asian football market to the maximum and spread the joy and legacy of the FIFA World Cup to all 208 FIFA countries and regions.

"We consider this to be another "official" start for Japan's bid."

The spokeswoman said Japan aims to offer a new way to watch football "sharing the joy of the World Cup with the whole world and expanding the football market by using our ultra-realistic image technology".

She said FIFA's Fan Fest concept would also be expanded to be established in 400 locations across the world, enabling 360 million people to enjoy World Cup games.

"The legacy of the World Cup will also be enjoyed by the next generation, where 6000 children will be invited to Japan to participate in football matches and special programs," she added.

With the credibility and reputation of the Japanese people at stake, she said there would be no problem in delivering a well organised World Cup and fulfilling legacy objectives.

"We have learned so much by hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2002, and now it is our turn to give something back," she said.

For the complete World Cup Bid Power Index, click here

Withreporting from WFI editor Mark Bisson (mark@worldfootballinsider.com)

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