Interesting article in the Globe saying that this was the last great Cup, and the next 12 years will be crap.
"In four years time, Russia will be Brazil with twice the hassles and a fraction of the charm. The distances are vast. In an effort to spread around the graft, Russia initially proposed 13 host cities. The only way to get between them is in the air.
Russians root for one thing – Russia. Their team is crap and shows no hint of getting much better. The atmo at the 2018 World Cup will be D.O.A.
In 2022, it will be even worse. This assumes that Qatar will still be host (a big assumption). You can’t just roll into Qatar to soak up the vibe. The average daily high is 40 C. If you’re on the street, you’re going to die.
There’s also the issue of moral peril. Who wants to vacation in a graveyard for itinerant workers?
By 2026 – after two consecutive gong shows – nobody sensible is going to want this hassle any more. Of course, that means Canada’s already declared its interest. That’ll never happen. We’re too straight. We won’t grease the right people. There won’t be any sketchy legal wiggle-room for the usual shakedowns.
No, this will end up going to some desperate, half-crooked government that will be happily robbed blind in exchange for a month’s worth of agit-prop. That pattern has been very good to FIFA. The organization will do even less for the fans, because that’s the trend. This thing is charting a line into human oblivion.
In choosing Russia and Qatar, FIFA declared this is no longer about people. Those two countries will function as sound stages. All that matters any more is how this looks on television. That’s why the only spend that matters to organizers is the arenas.
The super-rich will still come. They’ve taken over this thing. They pay for the hospitality suites and drive the in-stadium revenues. If you want to really feel your place in the socioeconomic pecking order, come to a World Cup. Don’t forget to bring your own jet.
If real fans don’t show up to pad out the attendance, they’ll do what they did in South Africa – paper the joint with freebies for locals."
SOURCE: Fans reduced to extras in FIFA’s lucrative reality show
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...ucrative-reality-show/article19577586/?page=1
