Ukraine’s entry into Europe to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain was rated as a “master shot” behind the scenes by UEFA (European Football Union), the organization that approved the proposal. And it worried the leaders of Conmebol (South American Football Confederation) from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay, which sponsored the other previously announced joint candidacy.
The announcement that Ukrainians are joining the European project came amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which have been at war since February. At the end of last week, a strategic bridge connecting Russian territory with Crimea was attacked with explosives. This Monday (10), Russia retaliated with bomb attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
The venue of the 2030 World Cup will be determined at a location to be determined at the FIFA Congress in 2024. Officially, the FIFA summit does not interfere with the decision, which is equal to the votes of 211 affiliated federations. It is the task of the international federation to put together the specifications with the requirements of the candidate countries and send experts for inspection. Reports are prepared and forwarded to affiliates, and even a candidate with a worse rating than the other can win if they get the most votes.
But internally, FIFA management is acting and making politics. For 2030, which will be the second Cup with 48 participants (the first will be in the USA, Mexico and Canada in 2026), it was the desire of those in charge of the international federation to have the first World Cup organized by more people. a confederation, that is, on more than one continent.
The initial idea was to include Morocco in Africa in the European candidacy with Portugal and Spain. Since Morocco and Spain are separated by the Strait of Gibraltar, geographically it makes more sense than having Ukraine in the project – Morocco’s main city Casablanca is 1,100 km from Madrid, and Kyiv is 3,620 km from the Spanish capital.
The UEFA administration denied this. The relationship between the Europeans and FIFA is not so good, so much so that the confederation was one of the main critics of the international federation’s plan to change the frequency of the World Cup from four to two years, the idea shelved.
A second proposal leaked to the press was that of three continents, not two: Saudi Arabia (Asia), Egypt (Africa) and Greece (Europe). The Saudis, today the main allies of FIFA president Gianni Infantino – came from them, for example, the proposal to turn the World Cup into a biennial competition.
The plan met with the fact that Europe had already received its candidacy and would not support the Greeks. But even if it doesn’t cover more continents, Ukraine’s entry into the European project fits into what was ultimately a controversy for FIFA for the World Cup: politics.
Even giving the Ukrainians a few World Cup games a few years after a war (the conflict is expected to end by 2030, of course) opens the door for the international federation to work on old plans for the country. It always gives the asset a good image and attracts partners.
While the second nomination was already announced, South America took a hit with the announcement of the Europeans. Today, CONMEBOL’s main asset is weak: historic recovery to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup in the land where it all began. The World Cup final on the project will be held at the Centenario stadium in Uruguay, the country that hosted the first edition of the FIFA national team tournament.
The South American dream began with a double nomination from Uruguay and Argentina, and then added Chile first, then Paraguay. Because? Politics, as always—Conmebol strives to maintain good relations not only with its affiliated federations, but also with governments. And the only reason why the fifth component, Colombia, didn’t enter was because FIFA put an end to the idea of a five-fold bid.
Today in FIFA, the European goal is shown as the 2030 favourite. South Americans can be content with 2034, like Athens, which lost the Olympic Games centennial to Atlanta (USA) in 1996 but won the event eight years later. . , in 2004. The problem is that China, which has some companies that currently sponsor FIFA for 2034, is interested.
source: Noticias
