2018 England...United?

In a little over a week's time, one of the most transparent, unbiased, fair and democratic committees on Earth will meet to decide the location for the World Cup in 2018 and 2022.

Here in Australia all focus is on the 2022 bid for which they are in with a great shout - blog on that to follow - but of more pressing concern for Europe is 2018. The tournament is guaranteed to be held in the smallest continent, with the four bids coming from England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium. As the vote draws ever closer I've been giving it more and more thought, and to my surprise I've found myself in conflict.

The World Cup is the biggest and most important sporting event in the world from my point of view. The Olympics is a fantastic spectacle, and it always delivers high drama and great moments, but for people who live and breathe football all the time, the World Cup is the pinnacle.

To think that we could have it in England is on an instinctive level just incredible - can you imagine how brilliant it would be to have three games a day across England; regional towns would adopt the nations that they host; people from all over the world would bring their own songs and atmosphere to our shores. It would all be so accessible (one thing moving to Australia shows you is just how small England really is) and it would all be held in superb stadiums. Also there would not be a bloody vuvuzela to be heard.

Euro 96 was, at the time, and even more so now with 14 years of nostalgia behind it, one hell of a month for me. I didn't attend a game, I didn't even go into London whilst the tournament was on - and yet I loved every second, and watched every second. To have the World Cup at a time in my life when I'd hopefully be able to attend a number of games and failing that make the most of the Fan Fests etc would surely be a high point. I know first hand what the atmosphere is like at a World Cup and it only makes sense that you would want that in your own 'back yard' as they say.

However, every so often, I try and think about things rationally. Not too much mind you but just now and then.

Is a World Cup really what our country needs?

I don't have the necessary insight and understanding to debate the economics of it. South Africa spent an obscene amount of money to get a tournament that brings in my view questionable benefits to it's needy citizens. I'm sure the bid team have put together a compelling case for how much hosting 2018 would boost our economy. It just seems to me on a purely simplistic level that when the government are making all kinds of cutbacks and millions of people could do with a hand, we shouldn't really be spending a fortune on a football tournament. We've seen how costs can spiral with the Olympics and I'm not certain another burden is required.

Furthermore, I have my doubts as to the welcome that fans of other teams would receive. After Gareth Southgate passed the Germans into the 96 final, riots broke out across the country and a Russian student was stabbed. After our elimination in 2004 and 2006, my home town of Croydon was smashed to pieces by frustrated, drunk, chav retard England 'fans'. When Bafana Bafana crashed out at the group stage, the whole country partied and made the most of having had the opportunity, and to be fair the team didn't really let them down. And so we come to the other huge factor.

Our Team.

Apparently people booed after the insipid defeat to France last week, even though it was a youthful and experimental team. The World Cup campaign was clearly a disaster, but regardless of the current state, we have always had far too high an opinion of ourselves and our chances. The pressure on the England team to win the tournament if they hosted it would be immense, and the media would be basically intolerable. Brazil go into the next World Cup as most likely favourites, and under horrendous pressure, but at least they have the players, the record and the calibre to give the favourite billing some gravity.

England are not a World Cup winning team, nor have they been for the majority of my life. There is no solid reason to think they could become one in 8 years, but the pressure if we were hosts would be atrocious. It would probably ruin a couple of careers - would you want to be the blundering defensive scapegoat or penalty missing Pizza Hut star who cost us the World Cup in our own country? No. me neither.

Maybe, just maybe, it would be best if it went to Spain. Lets face it, Easyjet fly there pretty cheap, there are few better places for a long weekend than Barcelona, and the sol y cerveza would not go amiss either.

England United? I'm not so sure.