Australia keen to bid as hosts for the World Cup.
Ernie Merrick, the coach for Melbourne Victory, says that he is confident Australia would stand a good chance of hosting the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
Merrick was speaking after the AFL and Etihad Stadium both resisted Australia’s bid for the world cup, leading the local football community to worry about Australia’s chances being harmed. But Merrick doesn’t think there will be a problem: “Everybody will be onside when it counts. Australians love a sporting event.”
The Football Federation Association will certainly be hoping that he is right as they prepare to put forward Australia’s bid. Merrick points to Australia’s track record for hosting large events and says that he is certain any problems will be ironed out: “We’ve hosted the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games and all Australians will be on board when it comes to putting in a bid.”
The problems started when Australian Rules and rugby league bodies raised concerns about the World Cup interfering with their regular seasons. The Australian Football League (AFL) then joined in the affray, saying it would not allow Melbourne’s second largest stadium, Etihad, to be used whilst the National Rugby League said it would want compensation payments for any losses occurred.
Kate Ellis, Australia’s minister for sport and youth is also throwing her weight behind the bid and is urging rival sports to unite and support the bid for the World Cup: “We’ve said all along that winning a World Cup for Australia is a massive task, is a big challenge, but … we are committed to getting right behind our football federation and delivering,”
“And I have to say that if we are successful in winning the rights to host a World Cup in Australia, it will be of benefit not just to the world game but the sporting community and to the Australian community more broadly.”
However the AFL justify their refusal to allow the usage of the Etihad Stadium saying: “We would make the MCG available for 10 weeks, which is ours under our agreement, but we need Etihad Stadium to be able to conduct our season. If we haven’t got Etihad Stadium and the MCG, we can’t run a season.”
The NRL also raised concerns about the dates and their own seasons, adding: “We’re not trying to stop the World Cup bid but we are certainly concerned about the impact that it will have on our season, our fans and the financial position of our clubs.”
However Kate Ellis stressed that the Australian Government is backing the bid and that any potential problems can be solved by working in partnership with the clubs. However some feel that the integrity of the bid has already been damaged.
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