Sepp and The Steppe

Russia 2018

 

Russia has been awarded the 2018 World Cup in a surprise decision by FIFA.  Many expected the English bid, led by David Beckham and featuring both Prince William and David Cameron, to be awarded the hosting rights for the tournament.  However, in a dramatic twist, that saw England finish dead last garnering only two votes, while being eliminated in the first round, Russia were awarded the hosting rights, having received 14 votes in the final round.  While the Russian bid was far from shoddy, questions remain over the infrastructure and professional abilities of the Russian FA.  Meanwhile rumours of votes for money, already exposed in a BBC expose weeks before the final vote, loom large over the process.  Stories abound of FIFA President Sepp Blatter having received close to $3 billion dollars from Qatar (shock winners of the 2022 World Cup bid process) and Russia combined.  With the notion of dark politics and non football decisions pulling the strings behind the scenes, never in doubt, it remains to be seen whether Russia can host a World Cup as well as its Western European neighbours – notably England and fellow bidders, Belgium and Holland.

Russia:

Population: 142 million population

Area: 17.07 million square km

GDP: $2.109 trillion

Notable clubs teams:  CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg, Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Rubin Kazan

International Pedigree: 2 World Cup appearances, Euro 2008 semi-finalists.  As USSR, winners of 1960 European Championships during 5 appearances and 7 appearances at the World Cup.

FIFA Ranking: 13