Australia’s place in Asia can help it host a soccer World Cup that will reap the sport more money than the other nations vying for the honour can deliver.
That is the argument mounted by Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy, who is confident Australia will win the right to host the coveted event in either 2018 or 2022.
Frank Lowy, Football Federation Australia chairman, stated that more money would come to the sport from holding the process in Asia-Pacific than from anywhere.
According to England 2018 bid website He said: “We are able to show that bringing the game to Australia and having the Asian continent with us at the same time zone will benefit not only Australia, not only Asia, but the whole football world. Because the income that’s been projected for the television rights and other income will be larger than if they go anywhere else… Nobody can offer what we can offer.”
Australia have only recently moved to the Asian Football Confederation for their latest World Cup qualification campaign after leaving the Oceanic federation. They are hoping to beat off bids from England, USA, Spain/Portugal, Holland/Belgium, Russia, Indonesia and Japan.
Lowy added: “Asian development in sport is such that if the World Cup comes to this part of the world then I think they will be able to cash in and sort of monopolise with football, because the other sports haven’t taken off yet. To host the World Cup in Australia, where the round ball sport often ranks behind other forms of football, would be a “nation-changing event.”
Image: REUTERS/Tim Wimborne
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