Football: Aussie silence not so golden

Germany were victors over Argentina in last year's Fifa World Cup final. Photo / AP

The silence emanating from Australia in response to New Zealand stories about co-hosting the Fifa World Cup indicates the lack of interest across the Tasman.

On the back of New Zealand successfully staging the Rugby and Cricket World Cups, Martin Snedden this week revealed his ambitious vision of bringing the Fifa World Cup to these shores.

But initial stories glossed over one fact - if Australia aren't interested, New Zealand can't proceed.

Putting aside whether Australia would want to co-host the tournament, it appears unlikely they will even consider a bid for many years. The scars run deep from their previous experience in 2010, when they were eliminated in the first round after receiving only one vote.

Football Federation Australia offered no comment when contacted by the Herald, though a senior FFA official told Radio New Zealand last week there would be several reasons why Australia wouldn't consider a bid with New Zealand.

"Another bid is extremely unlikely," said prominent Australian football journalist and commentator Michael Cockerill. "The time frames make it difficult as well, as it would be 30 to 40 years away based on the [tournament] rotation between confederations.

"I don't think it is something they [the FFA] are treating terribly seriously," said Cockerill of Snedden's proposal. "I would say they have much more pressing priorities."

Australia spent around A$50 million on their bid for the 2022 World Cup. It wasn't universally popular, with much concern about the disruption to the NRL and AFL seasons. But there was reasonable anticipation and hope before the vote, with Australia viewed as a possible second favourite behind the United States. Technically, their bid was one of the strongest but Qatar out-manoeuvred everyone politically and financially.

"At the beginning of the process last time, there was some relief that China weren't in the frame, as they would be impossible to beat," said Cockerill. "It now feels like that was our window of opportunity, our time, and it is probably gone for the foreseeable future."

Even if there are changes to the bidding process and within Fifa, the tournament will always remain a huge undertaking. It may get even bigger. There could be 36, 40 or even 48 teams in the future, adding to an already staggering cost.

"The requirements are so onerous, it's hard to see how it would be feasible in the future," said one senior Australian football official who worked closely with the last bid. "Not only is it extremely difficult to win, but would we actually want it? Given Australia's economic climate and the recent experiences of South Africa and Brazil, it would be hard to justify embarking on a campaign again."

Dream the fantastic dream

New Zealand co-hosting the World Cup appeals as a fantastic sporting dream but there would be huge hurdles to overcome.

Timing
The next opportunity for an Asian host will be 2034 or 2038 and beyond that 2046 or 2050. Such daunting time frames make other sports events more realistic targets, such as the Fifa Women's World Cup, Commonwealth Games, America's Cup and another Rugby or Cricket World Cup.

Competition
China will be an almost unbackable favourite to host the next Asian World Cup. By 2046 or 2050, India could have a compelling bid, while Japan and South Korea will again be formidable contenders.

Infrastructure
The infrastructure burden on a World Cup host is daunting, especially around stadium requirements and road and rail networks. Fifa insist on all-seater, rectangular stadiums with a minimum capacity of 35,000-40,000 spectators and at least 5000 carparks. When New Zealand hosted the 2011 Rugby World Cup, we built ... a grandstand.

Time zones
European, US and Latin American media networks pay billions for the broadcasting rights and need matches as close to prime time as possible. Fifa earned around US$1.7 billion from broadcasters for the 2014 World Cup.

The IRB banked an estimated $93 million for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Market potential
Compared with China, India, Japan, South Korea or even Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand don't stack up in terms of market potential and growth from a Fifa perspective.

Lack of focus
New Zealand has just one professional football team and government funding bodies have been historically reluctant to back the game, preferring to focus on minority sports that deliver medals. There would need to be a major switch in focus.