ZURICH: Defeated World Cup hopefuls vented their anger Friday over FIFA’s decision to name Russia and Qatar as the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups after a bitter bidding war tainted by corruption claims.
As the questions were asked over how Russia would pay for the tournament and how teams would fare in the searing summertime heat of Qatar, US President Barack Obama led a backlash against football’s world governing body.
"I think it was the wrong decision," Obama, who had recorded a personal appeal in support of the beaten American bid, told reporters after the United States lost out to Qatar for the 2022 contest.
There was widespread astonishment at Qatar’s victory — a tiny Gulf kingdom whose team have never qualified for the World Cup and where temperatures reach around 43 degress Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) in June and July when the tournament is staged.
Along with the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia all tabled bids for 2022.
Football Federation Australia’s Jack Reilly said its 2022 bid had fallen victim to FIFA politics and Qatar’s deep pockets. "The Qatar delegation have been pushing money around for a long period of time," he said.
Japan’s Football Association vice-chairman Kuniya Daini expressed bafflement at the decision, saying it seemed to be less about football than politics.
"Maybe, it is meaningful to host it in the Middle East for the first time?" he said.
Japan’s top-selling business daily Nikkei was more forthright.
"Qatar, which has never qualified for the World Cup finals, had a weapon in its abundant financial resources based on oil money," it said.
Qatar’s win came despite serious reservations being raised by a FIFA technical report about the logistical problems of staging the football tournament in the Gulf during the searing heat of the summer months.
The oil-rich Qataris have promised to build an array of state-of-the-art stadia to keep players and fans comfortable in a climate-controlled environment, but the technology has never been tested on a large scale before.
Qatar 2022 bid president Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani dismissed concerns about the climate as "misconceptions."
"On behalf of millions living in the Middle East, thank you FIFA for having such bold vision. We have a date with history which is summer 2022," he said in Zurich.
While Russia’s victory had been more widely predicted, the sense of disappointment among its rivals — England, Spain and joint bids from Spain-Porgugal and Netherlands-Belgium — was no less severe.
The press in England, which last hosted the tournament in 1966, was scathing in its assessment of the outcome.
"Russia, a mafia state rotten to the core with corruption; Qatar a medieval kingdom with no freedom of speech; Both are swimming in oil money," the tabloid Daily Mirror splashed across its front page.
"How on earth did they persuade the dodgy fatcats at FIFA to give them the World Cup? SOLD."
There was a similar reaction from the Spanish press with the centre-right El Mundo running the headline: "The power of gas and oil."
"Russia and Qatar, with projects that were technically very weak but with huge fortunes, win 2018 and 2022 respectively," it added.
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, who traveled to Zurich, was baffled by the outcome.
"According to FIFA we had the best technical team, no one could identify any risks of coming to England. I think we had the strongest commercial bid and the country is passionate about football," he told reporters.
After skipping the actual vote, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin jetted into Zurich late Thursday to promise a top-notch event.
"A 2018 World Cup will be up to the highest standards, new modern stadiums will be built in time and to perfection," Putin said.
Russian media questioned whether the cost of staging the tournament was acceptable as the country is on track to record a 4.6 percent deficit this year and already has a commitment to other extravagant projects such as the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 which have gone way over budget.
"One could accept any expenses if their structure was transparent and the project’s financing controllable," wrote Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily.
While Putin put the cost at around 10 billion dollars, some commentators warned the eventual bill could be nearer five times that amount.
"The example of the Sochi Olympics proves that whatever numbers the government gives, they should not be considered final," Kommersant newspaper wrote.
