D'oh! No, I didn't say "Mexico withdrew because they said 'give others a chance'." That's just how it reads above, sir. I'M THE ONE SAYING "give others a chance."
I'm fine with the mundial in Qatar. I just think if they do that, it's time for Israel to qualify through Asia instead of UEFA and penalize any team that refuses to play them. It's good for the game. Even better if Iran qualifies. . I would have rather seen England get it (or Belgium/Netherlands) and they have every reason to be unhappy, but I think Qatar will run a decent World Cup. If they'll take me and my passport full of Israeli work visas, good for them. Russia probably bothers me more. Super expensive, very high crime, very far distances to travel between venues and very few people speak English. Still...I guess it's less risky than Brazil or South Africa.
landondonovan Landon Donovan I have an idea..we play Qatar in a friendly(they can even host it), and the winner gets to host the 2022 WC..wait, do they even have a team? Landon with some good banter. Apparently he is upset...
Check out these stadiums that Qatar is gonna build: <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d-z2jtUS9-Y?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d-z2jtUS9-Y?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
Thanks for sharing your opinion, but guess what? I spend 6 months a year there. The UAE locals are vitamin D deficient because the women and men walk around covered from head to toe, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. It's a form of cultural modesty inspired by Islam, Mathloom. In terms of tourists from Europe, America and Australia, winter time is when a larger amount come. Because places like the Marina and JBR offer a great ambiance when the weather is good and events like Desert Safari and offroading/camping are bearable. Navigating the roads of the Old Dubai market (Gold Souk) is also more crowded during the winter. Also, the biggest mall in the world is lined with outdoor cafes as are the walks. Most people here have visitors between Nov-March, not summer. So, checkmate. I didn't want to put you in your place in front of all your friends, but when it comes to regulating, I just gotta do, what I gotta do. Don't let me catch you acting smart again.
Ronny is definitely correct. I have been to Dubai I don't know how many times and occupancy rates at hotels are certainly higher when it is winter in Europe, which makes perfect sense, because Dubai is then the closest place where Europeans can go and reliably get sun. Also, LOL at the covered from head to toe remark and thus the vitamin D deficiency. This is the obvious answer. Edit: Here is some link for the numbers (although rather vague, and I know they dropped significantly in the meantime): Hotel occupancy in 2007 from 70%-100% in winter and 60% to 90% in summer, Dubai has the highest average rate worldwide. http://www.dubaifaqs.com/hotels-in-dubai.php
Two articles. The 1st a well reasoned piece by my dude Gabriele Marcotti. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/gabriele_marcotti/12/02/russia.qatar/index.html
The 2nd a more whiny piece by Grant Wahl http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/grant_wahl/12/02/3thoughts.wcbid/index.html One thing that grinds my gears is the constants put down of the size of other nations when the USA loses on and off the pitch as we saw in the WC versus Ghana and now in the 2022 bidding loss to Qatar. It's not the size of the country in the fight....
I already corrected that by saying that the USA is being selfish. You guys also deserve it down under for the first time.
Wow, this thread sure has legs ... I am willing to bet Qatar can handle the logistics. All it takes is money and they have loads of it and are willing to spend. Traffic jam? Heck, if they build new stadiums in the desert, they can build roads with as many lanes as they want. What traffic jam ?
Look, I am not gonna sit here and say that Australia's bid was the way to go, but moving away from a political, and geographical point of view, lets talk about what the tournament is about: FOOTBALL. I hope Qatar can actually put a team together that will be able to compete with the worlds best teams. Thats what bothers me the most.
The world cup was held in the US 4 world cups ago.... It took Brazil 15 world cups before they are going to get another one in 2014. It's like this for other countries except Mexico who hosted relatively close apart. What's the big deal? US can try to bid again next time.
I'm actually more surprised with Russia. It is a terrible country and quite racist as well. Especially out of the major cities. Not a safe place to be if you are a coloured.
