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2018? Warner gives England the Mexican Wave Goodbye
I TIPPED Warner to win seven months ago in these pages. A familiar voice was assuring me, ‘I hope you enjoy Mexico or the States, England isn’t even being discussed in private.’ That was the weekend Capello dragged a tired team to Trinidad and Warner made a killing touting tickets.
As last weekend neared I worried; had my source failed me? Then, as deadline loomed, both countries declared. Phew. The Voice was back on last week. ‘Didn’t I tell you? And they’ve given Wembley the UEFA Champions League Final, it’s a sop.’
Once you know The Fix is in, as it was with the last two World Cup campaigns, there’s not a lot more for reporters to write. But that doesn’t fill pages in London papers so we are inveigled into another fantasy: the whimsy that among the 23 voters are some waverers who might be seduced by a lavishly-illustrated history of Hillsborough, lunch with Mrs Windsor at Windsor and bedtime coca at Claridges. More up-market scoff at Downing Street, Parliament and other eateries. But the buggers live like that all the time, chauffeured around the Michelin Guide.
The Voice tells me that Warner already has 12 votes locked up – Victory! - and maybe 13. Here’s how the numbers are running.
Warner starts with three votes. His and his two handpicked Concacaf sidekicks on FIFA’s executive committee, perfectly round Chuck Blazer from Trump Tower, New York and his other home, Paradise Island, Nassau, and Guatemala’s Rafael Salguero. Hands up everyone who ever heard of this Master of the Football Universe. He says he is a lawyer for banks. I didn’t think anybody these days admitted working for banks.
Shift south and there’s three easy pulls in Latin America. Don Julio Grondona, the noted anti-Semite from Argentina, chairs FIFA’s finance committee and Warner is his deputy. What do they do with FIFA’s money? Swiss Investigating Magistrate Thomas Hildbrand is trying to find out.
Another kindred spirit is Ricardo Teixeira, son-in-law of former FIFA president Joao Havelange, himself no stranger to corruption allegations. Tricky Ricky bosses Brazil’s national association. The most recent investigation said it is, ‘a den of crime, anarchy, incompetence and dishonesty.’
The terrible trio is made whole by Paraguay’s Nicolas Leoz. He’s presided over the Latin American franchise since 1986. Last time England was bidding Sir Bobby Charlton was dispatched to Asuncion to court him, just days after Leoz had secretly trousered a $100,000 kickback from ISL, the company given World Cup marketing rights. A month later Leoz was hosted in London by the FA, lunched at the House of Commons, dined at Lancaster House and then collected a further $30,000 from ISL. How are we doing? Look’s like we’re up to six for Televisa.
At this point I need to tell you that last December Herr Blatter, speaking of the campaign for 2018, assured us, ‘Of course fair play will be the order of the day’ and you must wonder if he was bonging with Michael Phelps.
Warner’s been in Nigeria recently giving support to a FIFA voter in distress, Dr Amos Adamu. Readers will recall Amos was denounced for corruption and fired from their Sports Ministry. Warner will be back in Lagos later this week with light-fingered Leoz, guests of the African regional franchise congress.
Which way will Africa’s leader Issa Hayatou swing? And new boy from Ivory Coast, Jacques Anouma? The fourth voter, Slim Chiboub from Tunisia, was involved in some curious backroom activities when Germany was desperately trying to pull ahead of South Africa to grab 2006. Which they did.
After listening to my well-informed friends in West Africa I’m compelled to write that all four African votes will back Jack. That’s 10 – two more than Europe can muster - and Mexico is ordering Corona by the truckload.
Thailand’s Worwai Makudi was helped to see Germany’s case for 2006. Jack should be his man. That’s 11 on the board. You wouldn’t think that Asian franchise boss Mohamed Bin Hammam, a copiously rich fellow from Qatar, would ever need any help. Suddenly his leadership faces two well-funded challenges and he needs help. Hello Jack. That’s 12 of 23 – Bingo!
Maybe Jack will score more. Russia’s delegate has his own way of looking at these things and we know little about the new guy from Oceania, Tahiti’s Raynald Temarii, whose first language is French and says he once followed Liverpool.
England might add two votes from the Japanese and Korean delegates to Europe’s eight. Much might change before the vote in December 2010 but for now, it seems that Jack’s past the post.
Sunday Herald, 8 February 2009 -
How the World Cup will be won