Australia's bid for the 2018 World Cup is over.
Australia has dramatically pulled out of the bidding for the 2018 World Cup today, leaving England with only four rival bids.
Speculation has been rife for some time that the 2018 World Cup will go to a European country so Australia’s decision to pull out at this stage will not be of any surprise for some who now feel that the USA should also pull out of the bidding.
It was only in May that Australia unveiled their 2018/2022 World Cup bid book with Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer providing a bit of sporting glam next to FFA Chief Executive Ben Buckley. Now that book looks set to be placed back on the shelf until the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
It is for the sake of the Fifa World Cup that Australia have cited as the reason for their withdrawal from the bids. Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said: “Their [Australia] announcement of today, therefore, to henceforth focus solely on bidding for the 2022 Fifa World Cup is a welcome gesture that is much appreciated by Fifa’s leadership and executive committee. We wish to thank Mr Lowy, the FFA and the Australian Government.”
FFA chairman Frank Lowy said of the decision: “We have been in discussion with Fifa for months and it is that trusting relationship with the leadership of the governing body that has caused us to focus on 2022 and decide to leave the field for 2018 to European contenders.”
Pressure will now be mounting on the USA to follow in Australia’s footsteps and leave the bidding to the four European contenders; England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium.
Australia will now focus all its efforts to launching a successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.
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