It does appear that the ‘soccer wars’ will be heating up in the coming months before FIFA announces the winner of the bidding to host the 2018 World Cup. The announcement will come in December, and until then the race is on.
England got a boost from Mohammed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, with his comments in an article for the Premier League’s season review.
Bin Hammam praised the League’s work with the Asian soccer community, referencing coaching clinics in India and speakers from the English league who share their knowledge at AFC seminars. He certainly gave the strong impression that he’ll cast his vote for England in December.
However, it’s going to take more than the Asian vote to land the World Cup on British soil for the first time since 1966. Since this year’s win by Spain, the Spanish contingent, in a joint bid with Portugal, is focusing on the challenge with renewed vigour, but Russia and the U.S. are both strong contenders, and both have a lot of positives to offer in the venue department.
Depending on who you’re listening to at any given time, the odds on the favourite keep changing, and there may be even more surprises before the winner is declared.