WITH five football associations and two governments involved, may I be the first to christen this the ‘loaves and fishes World Cup bid’.
And, in a 48-team tournament featuring 80 matches, feeding the multitude should not really be a problem if successful.
But, before anyone gets too excited, it is important to remember a few things.
Firstly, the auctioneer’s gavel has not been struck to award the 2030 World Cup to Ireland and its nearest neighbours.
In fact, the English FA, the Scottish FA, the Welsh FA, the Irish FA and the FAI have not definitively decided whether to participate in the auction.
All that has really taken place so far is that Boris Johnson has announced he will stump up the bus fare for the quintet to get to the auction rooms for them to decide if they want to enter and raise their hand.
THE SHAGGY DOG
With BoJo’s shaggy appearance, it could be the long-lost edition of the Enid Blyton series The Five Find-Outers and Dog although, admittedly, a feasibility study into co-hosting a World Cup would mark a departure from their usual ginger ale-fuelled escapades.
So what happens next? Well, the bidding process does not actually begin until the second quarter of 2022 with a decision taken at the 2024 Fifa Congress, usually held in December.
The Minister for Miscellaneous, Catherine Martin, was cautious in her statement and said: “This is an exciting possibility, but we are still in the very early stages of assessing how and if this major global tournament could be part hosted by our nation.”
Presumably, independent consultants will now be hired at great expense to conduct the feasibility study.
TIME TO SWOT UP
For what it is worth, here is my own quick SWOT analysis.
STRENGTHS: Enough stadia already in place to provide a choice, strong football culture in all five countries and good transport infrastructure in Britain.
WEAKNESSES: No suitable stadium in Northern Ireland at present.
London, Glasgow and Dublin already down to host Euro 2020 matches.
And also two past failed solo bids by England.
OPPORTUNITIES: Could facilitate and speed up development of Casement Park in Belfast.
Potential for developing training bases which could be later given over to community/club use and further increase popularity of football.
THREATS: Deterioration in EU-Britain relations.
Sentimental appeal of the centenary World Cup being held in South America.
The more associations involved, the bigger the scope for disagreement.
Although that one is for free, the British government has pledged £2.8million towards the commissioning of a report with bells and whistles, and a few infographics.
Its Irish counterparts have not put a price on its commitment but Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers, said a ‘significant amount’ of the €6m his department’s major events division would go towards this.
Perhaps this is how things will proceed from here on in, the British lay their money on the table, we say ‘Ah yeah, we’ll chip in’ and, at best, leave the tip and, at worst, scarper when the bill comes.
And bidding for a World Cup is not done on the cheap.
BIG EXPENSE NO MATTER WHAT
For 2018, England devoted around €23m which was only enough to get them two out of 22 votes.
It is why FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill suggested his former employers decided on a change in tack if they were to bid again.
That is where the loveable Irish come in.
Hill said: “I do believe that if we have some strong and inspirational Irish voices within that process, particularly within the Uefa element, that will be extremely beneficial and powerful to the overall bid.”
That said, the gift of the gab will only get you so far in these things which the Scots know only too well from bitter experience of a joint bid with the FAI.
GETTING HITCHES
If things don’t work out this time, they can’t say they weren’t warned.
After all, we had agreed to join forces for Euro 2008. We were not a match made in heaven.
As they showed off their beautiful dresses — named Hampden Park, Celtic Park, Ibrox and Murrayfield — in the bridal boutique, we assured them that, although we only needed two suits, we had a choice of three which were sure to impress the judges.
It later emerged we had only one, which was dishevelled and not suitable for such an occasion (Lansdowne Road), another which was not yet — and never would be — made (Abbotstown) and a third which the owner had not yet agreed to lend us (Croke Park).
Unsurprisingly, Austria and Switzerland were chosen as a more reliable pair in December 2002 as the Scots were left to wonder what they had ever seen in us.
BETTER BIDDERS?
But we have changed, right? In the meantime, Lansdowne Road was knocked down and the Aviva Stadium was built in its place.
Yes, it nearly bankrupted football in this country but at least we have a home to be proud of, at least until it reverts to sole IRFU ownership.
And, having finally gotten around to convincing the GAA to let us use Croker between 2007 and 2009, it should not be as big an ordeal to rent it out this time around.
That is if it is needed because, although it has been mooted as a potential venue for the opening match, with the two grounds in Dublin being used for the tournament, other reports suggest that just one is in the running.
LIST GETTING SHORTER
A long list of 16 venues featured four — Wembley, White Hart Lane, the Emirates, and London Stadium in London, three — Celtic Park, Hampden Park and Ibrox — in Glasgow and two in Manchester — Old Trafford and the Etihad.
The other cities mentioned were Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland.
That list of 16 is expected to be whittled down to 12.
Even if it is not, unless Dublin gets two at the expense of Belfast, in the event Casement Park is not developed to required specifications, it seems certain only one will make the cut.
It means either nominating a ground the FAI co-own but settle for fewer and lower-prestige matches or rent out Croker to get bigger and more games.
It is but one issue which will have to be resolved.
GLOBAL COMPETITION
As it stands, the bid faces four competitors but expect some withdrawals and possibly additions before the process actually gets underway.
In Europe, Spain and Portugal have confirmed their intention to join forces, as have Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia.
In Africa, Morocco have said they will be bidding, potentially with Algeria and Tunisia.
But the stiffest competition will come from South America where Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay have joined forces.
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As the Centenary World Cup — with the inaugural tournament held in Uruguay — that will have some sentimental appeal.
Our bid is seen as strong and credible and, indeed, Dublin, Glasgow and London were all awarded matches for Euro 2020, now taking place this summer.
But, with Ireland failing to qualify for the Euros and the prospect of our four matches being taken away if supporters are not allowed into the Aviva Stadium, even emerging victorious from a bid process can end up looking as appealing as a sardine sandwich.