WORLD CUP (3)

So it will be Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 that host the football World Cup. Congratulations to them both!

Ingerland were disappointed ("gutted"), that their 2018 bid was unsuccessful. They had thought that the combination of Prime Minister David Cameron, heir to the throne but one Prince William and football star David Beckham would carry the day. I can't see why. Football is perhaps the world's only truly global sport, and FIFA have shown in recent years, through their choices of South Africa for 2010 and Brazil for 2014, that they would like to see the World Cup brought to either countries in the developing world and/or places that have not hosted it before. Indeed, Mr. Beckham ought to have known this more than anyone else, since he has been one of the main drivers of football development in countries such as China not otherwise known for footballing prowess.

The 2026 bidding process hasn't even started yet. But my shortlist would be China, Egypt, Australia/New Zealand and Chile/Peru. Not Ingerland.

Walter Blotscher