I have decided to run the intricate politics that could have been involved in the high wired diplomatese which Dr Amos Adamu may have ignorantly walked into without knowing though, some elements of greed or ‘let me see how it works’ may have held him spell bound, not knowing when to turn out and leave.
For the purposes of my thinking, I believe the English are squarely in the middle of it all. England is also involved in the Adamu scandal.
Remember Adamu was in Russia recently and met with the Russian bid guys in Moscow. England was prepared to pay the $800,000 cheque but felt Adamu won't play their game because they knew he had a Russian circuit he may eventually go for, given the fact that it was held that “Russians like Nigerians can bribe God.” It is true that England is desperate and panicking because the Russians are gaining ground on them. Since England can't apply for 2022 World Cup, their only chance to host the World Cup is 2018.
Everything is pointing to England right now, but the bid has been having problems since it was launched last year in London. Dr Amos Adamu met with the English bid team which is headed by Andy Anson, Paul Elliot (a former player) and another guy. They've been pressing for his vote ever since. Also just before the final of the U-17 women championship in Trinidad & Tobago, the Korean and English bid teams were in Cairo to present their case to CAF.
WHY ENGLAND AND US RIGHT NOW ARE PANICKING.
It gets very interesting...The reason why they are panicking is Australia, Korea and others have stepped up their own lobbying processes. I sincerely think Spain/Portugal are just wasting their time. I don't see them getting anything, but they are also acting as spoilers which is complicating the whole process for England... Also don't forget Qatar... FIFA is big on legacy and may need to balance things out.
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Blatter, FIFA President, bewildered? |
Middle East has never hosted a World Cup before, since FIFA is very big on legacy, do not be surprised if Qatar gets 2022...I just don't see FIFA going to two big countries back to back...Qatar can get it with the jinx broken by South Africa in the 2010 World Cup hosting.
England's chances are honestly slim. They are worried about the threat from Russia, Holland/Belgium and Spain/Portugal. Moreso, Spain, Belgium all have votes in that 24 man executive committee. Their citizens will vote for their nations. Thus, England’s home votes are too tiny to be depended upon. That is why they may have decided to play so dirty to get sympathy and force FIFA to give the 2018 bid to them. They had a compromised and willy-nilly ally to be messed up in one Dr Amos Adamu who is from Nigeria.
THE AMERICAN BID:
The US bid has been very arrogant about their whole approach. It's just after they realised they have to work hard for every vote that they noticed it's not going to be a given birthday cake. They may had wrongly thought it was going to be handed to them from the get go. Was that not how they got the Atlanta Olympics bid? This is FIFA not IOC.
I know for sure US is not getting anything from the Asian guys in the voting committee. That is the dilemma US bid is facing. Asia is surely supporting Qatar, Korea, Japan and probably, Australia. They are going to stay as a united group... This I know for sure...
The Americans never bothered to engage the African votes because I think they feel Africans didn't count. The Americans were not very inclusive at all....they are so exclusive and not respectful and respecting. The bid slips out of their calloused fingers!
SEE THIS AS A CASE STUDY:
Also, Dr Chung from Korea recently accused the US of trying to undermine their own bidding for 2022 World Cup by trying to get China to bid for the 2026 World Cup. Since the World Cup can't go to the same confederation back to back, having China bid for the 2026 World Cup will sway the votes to their favour.
CONCLUSION:
Being part of FIFA also requires having common sense especially when it comes to dealing with the very intricate diplomatese and issues like this. Here is our brother, the man from Zuru, which some can swear and swore he is from Ogbomosho found in the wilderness of things being done properly unlike the Nigerian ways he had manipulated the system to survive and found himself in the global setting of an institution like FIFA, which on its own has its intricate corruption infected ways of delivering its own things.