Buckley confident in bid
Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 4:44 pm
Australian football's pained negotiations with rival sports over compensation and use of stadia during a World Cup look certain to drag on beyond next week's "bid book" deadline.
With final World Cup bid documents to be lodged with FIFA by May 14, Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said negotiations with the AFL, NRL, rugby union and cricket continued to be "positive".
The protracted dialogue with other sports - particularly with the AFL - over compensation and stadia continue to dog the bid on home soil.
But Buckley is confident Australia's bid won't suffer by comparison with major 2022 rivals, the United States, as a result.
"All the other sports want to ensure that whatever happens during the World Cup period - the displacement that occurs because of that - that they are no worse off, that their seasons can continue to operate and that the compensation if there is a need for compensation is governed by an agreement," Buckley said on Thursday.
"I think we're working positively towards that outcome. They're somewhat complex issues, they take time to work through.
"But they're being worked through ... the discussions are constructive."
The AFL's recalcitrance is unlikely to register on FIFA's radar - soccer's world governing body far more interested in firm government backing and infrastructure issues when it comes to judging bids.
The federal government has locked in its support and backed it up with cash, while the bid book will contain a full set of 12 stadia to be used during an Australian-hosted World Cup, including the MCG.
Ironically, the AFL will be one of the major beneficiaries in terms of infrastructure left by a successful soccer World Cup bid.
Government-funded redevelopments of Adelaide Oval, Perth's Subiaco Oval and Geelong's Skilled Stadium are expected to be among the legacy.
All three are set to host World Cup matches should Australia win the event in 2022, and all would directly benefit AFL clubs and patrons with updated facilities.
Other World Cup venues are likely to be Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the Sydney Football Stadium, a new western Sydney stadium, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Townsville and Canberra.
Melbourne's Etihad Stadium will not be used, with the AFL expected to retain it for staging its matches during the World Cup period.
A decision on the successful bidders for 2018 and 2022 will be made by FIFA in December.
A European bidder is expected to win the 2018 hosting rights, with Australia, the United States, Qatar, Japan and South Korea chasing 2022.
With final World Cup bid documents to be lodged with FIFA by May 14, Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said negotiations with the AFL, NRL, rugby union and cricket continued to be "positive".
The protracted dialogue with other sports - particularly with the AFL - over compensation and stadia continue to dog the bid on home soil.
But Buckley is confident Australia's bid won't suffer by comparison with major 2022 rivals, the United States, as a result.
"All the other sports want to ensure that whatever happens during the World Cup period - the displacement that occurs because of that - that they are no worse off, that their seasons can continue to operate and that the compensation if there is a need for compensation is governed by an agreement," Buckley said on Thursday.
"I think we're working positively towards that outcome. They're somewhat complex issues, they take time to work through.
"But they're being worked through ... the discussions are constructive."
The AFL's recalcitrance is unlikely to register on FIFA's radar - soccer's world governing body far more interested in firm government backing and infrastructure issues when it comes to judging bids.
The federal government has locked in its support and backed it up with cash, while the bid book will contain a full set of 12 stadia to be used during an Australian-hosted World Cup, including the MCG.
Ironically, the AFL will be one of the major beneficiaries in terms of infrastructure left by a successful soccer World Cup bid.
Government-funded redevelopments of Adelaide Oval, Perth's Subiaco Oval and Geelong's Skilled Stadium are expected to be among the legacy.
All three are set to host World Cup matches should Australia win the event in 2022, and all would directly benefit AFL clubs and patrons with updated facilities.
Other World Cup venues are likely to be Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the Sydney Football Stadium, a new western Sydney stadium, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Townsville and Canberra.
Melbourne's Etihad Stadium will not be used, with the AFL expected to retain it for staging its matches during the World Cup period.
A decision on the successful bidders for 2018 and 2022 will be made by FIFA in December.
A European bidder is expected to win the 2018 hosting rights, with Australia, the United States, Qatar, Japan and South Korea chasing 2022.
