Winning over Asia looms as Australia’s biggest hurdle in bid to host 2023 Women’s World Cup
Persuading the FIFA council Australia would be “a safe pair of hands” to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup is one thing, selling themselves to their own confederation is another matter entirely.
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Football Federation Australia chairman Chris Nikou will walk away from the Women’s World Cup bid if the governing body finds itself “pushing shit uphill” to get backing from Asia.
Persuading the FIFA council Australia would be “a safe pair of hands” to host the 2023 tournament is one thing, selling themselves to their own confederation is another matter entirely.
Since joining the Asian Football Confederation some 13 years ago, Australia have somewhat tip-toed around what Nikou labelled a “fragile” relationship.
And the perceived danger is that the AFC might push regional powerhouse Japan as the continent’s preferred bid.
“We need to position ourselves as the number one bid coming out of the AFC, that’s important,” Nikou told journalists yesterday.
“We’ve got some international trips coming up so we’ll feel the lie of the land.
“My reaction is always one of practicality ... if the reality is, pardon the expression, we’re pushing shit uphill, then I’ll just have to say ‘sorry guys, let’s position ourselves for maybe subsequent (events)’.
“I’m not going to waste people’s time and money. But until we dance the dance a bit I can’t tell you where I would sit.
“Our position in Asia is more fragile than it should be, but I think most people would say it’s a relationship we want to preserve.
“We have good friends and support to the east; we’re not that well liked to the west.
“Maybe a 48-team World Cup starts to change that dialogue, because if there’s more spots for the AFC then Australia’s not seen as a country that’s taking a spot that would otherwise go to (someone else).”
Australia is also facing competition in bids from Colombia, South Africa and potentially New Zealand, in a process that could be shrouded in secrecy given next year’s final decision will be made by FIFA’s ruling council, a 37-strong panel that usually meets in private.
The return to a behind-closed-doors process has prompted concerns Australia could face a repeat of their ill-fated pursuit of the 2022 World Cup that cost the federal government more than $40 million.
That uneasiness was exacerbated last week after FIFA president Gianni Infantino publicly supported a prospective joint North-South Korea bid.
“It’s a different process,” Nikou said.
“It’s not just lobbying, it’s done more in the papers than this off-the-record circus that goes around ... Infantino is going to have to say things like that.
“If the AFC say to us ‘listen, we’re throwing our weight behind Japan or a joint North-South Korea bid’ we’re just going to have to accept it and say ‘fine, let’s not waste our time’.
“But if we are able to position it then we’re in the race and we’ll give it a red-hot go.”
Part of that will depend on the outcome of the upcoming AFC election.
Incumbent president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa faces opposition from Qatar’s Saoud al-Mohannadi and the UAE’s Mohammed Khalfan Al-Romaithi.
Australia has submitted its formal expression of interest, due to FIFA this Friday, with final submissions due by October and a decision to be made in March 2020 – a significant delay on the initially proposed timeframes.
Nikou, who himself will run for a position on the AFC executive committee, hoped the short turnaround would “play in our hands a little bit”.
“We can stand on our history as a sporting nation of putting on events, it’s a smaller window to get it right,” he said.
One obstacle to an Australian win is access to stadiums throughout June and July, when other local codes are in season.
FFA chief executive David Gallop said FIFA had “indicated to us that they’re not as hard and fast on the window”.
“You could probably move it to the September-October period and you wouldn’t clash with those other seasons so much,” Gallop said.
Originally published as Winning over Asia looms as Australia’s biggest hurdle in bid to host 2023 Women’s World Cup
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