Sepp Blatter has rounded off the most dramatic week ever in sports politics by announcing he is to resign as President of FIFA once a successor is elected towards the end of the year.
This time last week Swiss Police were executing warrants for the arrest of senior officials but on Friday he was elected for a fourth term as President of Soccer’s World Governing Body. Further damaging revelations yesterday brought the investigation of him even closer and he announced that he was to step down “for the good of the game.”
There are more twists and turns in this to keep James Patterson busy for a lifetime but one of the most obvious and pressing is the hosting of the next two World Cup Finals in Russia in 2018 and Qatar four years later.
Russia will go ahead as to switch only three years out would be a logistical impossibility and there are no concerns over health and welfare.
Qatar is another matter and has been subject to serious questioning with the decision taken ultimately to switch to a November / December tournament in 2022.
This would be of major concern to clubs, especially in Europe, who increasingly dominate the game in terms of exposure, engagement and sponsorship.
With UEFA already making noise about boycotts, and a new regime likely to be in place in December 2015, there is an obvious statement of intent to be made in making a switch.
There would be plenty of time. The Olympic Games of 2020 will not be awarded until later this year and the Rugby World Cup for 2023 later still.
The interesting point for Ireland is that if UEFA’s power translates into a Presidency for Michel Platini, at the expense of co-favourite Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, then the template of a ‘distributed’ tournament has been a major part of his work in recent years.
Dublin will already host matches in the Euro 2020 Championships and were bidding to be re-opened for the World Cup two years later it is not impossible that a similar template could be followed.
Delivering benefit across the globe is a key element of governing bodies and sticking to a single country host deprives the greatest benefit being derived from the biggest event.
Imagine eight groups of four teams hosted in existing stadia, and with existing infrastructure in London, Munich, Sydney, Buenos Aires, New York, Rome, Dublin and perhaps, to avoid legal bills, Qatar, albeit with matches in the latter played in early morning.
2026 could then take in eight more cities, perhaps including Beijing and Mumbai.
That could deliver a 16 hour feast of live football coverage, rolling across peak times in each of the main markets.
Additional local sponsorship opportunities could be realised in eight markets as opposed to one.
If Dublin looks an odd one out consider how many global cities have stadia with 50,000 and 82,000 capacity within 4 kilometres of the City Centre, and with connections to the world through an international airline link between Aer Lingus and IAG.
The bid document from the FAI and Dublin City Council scored among the highest in pitching for Euro 2020
There are many reasons why it could not happen but not one single deal breaker.
After all who could have imagined what has happened in the last seven days, and this could be seven years in the making.
Wouldn’t that make for sweet dreams within Irish sport.
