by James Willis
I, like most people, was quite downbeat after England failed to win the rights to host the 2018 World Cup. I thought our country had put together a very strong bid.
Sure, our national team isn’t exactly spectacular right now, but the stadia and transportation links are more than satisfactory for hosting such an event. In fact, so are the training facilities throughout the country. I couldn’t understand how England had only managed to pick up two votes.
In retrospect, I don’t think it was a coincidence that the two most oil rich states bidding for the rights won. I’m not being bitter, I simply don’t trust FIFA.
Back on the 2nd December 2010 I was annoyed at that. Now, I don’t envy either Russia or Qatar. I wouldn’t want to see us host the World Cup and for good reason. At least I think so.
Imagine if England had won the bid. We’d have a third of the population loving the atmosphere, another third moaning about how much they hate football and the final third of people moaning about how England still won’t win anything.
I’ll concede, those aren’t scientifically accurate statistics, but they can’t be that far off. Brits love a good moan. I’m doing it right now. I just don’t want to put up with hearing other people do it all the time. No one does.
Maybe it’s the Olympic/Paralympic hangover speaking, but those events showed what Britain could be. A World Cup would merely show a more exaggerated version of what Britain already is.
I’m aware this might make me unpopular, but there are just some times that I can’t stand to watch football. Sometimes I wonder where other sports managed to go so right while football went so wrong.
I still love following all the scores throughout a Saturday and all that comes with it, but there’s something the Olympics brought to Britain that the World Cup wouldn’t.
There are already thousands of articles out there about what football can learn from the Olympics, but they are two completely different events with different set ups. They can’t learn anything from each other. They’re unrelated.
The World Cup here would bring cynicism to new levels, whereas the Olympics seemed to make it all disappear, even if just for a few weeks.
So forgive me if I sound like I’m just coming off of an Olympic high, or if I’m just ‘not a real football fan’, but really what would the World Cup bring to the country?
It would inspire young kids, but the rest of the nation would seemingly either be more cynical or more blindly and deliriously happy.
When the World Cups come around, I enjoy following them. But only on TV. If I ever want to go to a World Cup, I’ll prepare a trip to the host nation in advance.
However, I’m aware this is just me and my opinion. I know there are plenty of people in the country who would love to see us host a World Cup. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t and that everyone’s wrong for wanting one. I’m just explaining how little it would really bring to the country.
