World Cup Bid: 2018, 2022 Announcements Down To The Wire
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ZURICH — America's final pitch to host to the 2022 World Cup was left to a former president and an Oscar-winning actor, who talked of diversity and outlined an aggressive economic plan with hopes of sweeping past Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea in Thursday's vote.
Bill Clinton and Morgan Freeman were the key speakers in a 30-minute presentation that included a video from President Barack Obama and focused heavily on the financial boost soccer would get worldwide by returning to the U.S., where the sport has experienced slow, steady growth during the past 25 years.
Initially, all 24 executive committee members from FIFA, soccer's world governing body, would have cast secret ballots. However, accusations of corruption resulted in the suspension of two voters, leaving 22.
"It's important that all the teams who come to any World Cup venue feel that they, too, are playing at home, not just for people watching on television," said Clinton, honorary chairman of the U.S. bid committee. "I tell everyone maybe America's best claim to this World Cup is that we have the only nation you can put the World Cup that can guarantee no matter who makes the final, we can fill a stadium with home-nation rooters."
The U.S. laid out an economic proposal that would provide the most money for FIFA, soccer's governing body, with average attendance of 76,000 and $1 billion in projected sponsorship funds. U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said every Major League Soccer team likely would have its own stadium by the time the tournament opens in June 2022, providing ample training sites while larger NFL stadiums are used for matches.
While Clinton's speech veered into highlights of his own foundation's achievements, Freeman invoked the name of Nelson Mandela, the former South African president who helped bring the 2010 World Cup to that nation. Freeman portrayed Mandela in the movie "Invictus," based on the former political prisoner's role in the 1995 Rugby World Cup and using it to unite a country separated by apartheid.
"We are now the most diverse nation on earth," Freeman said. "And our patchwork heritage is our greatest strength."
At one point, Freeman had to stop when he realized he skipped a portion of his speech.
"I'm sorry, I missed a page," he said after realizing his speech was going in a different direction.
Freeman later introduced the video of Obama, who delivered a similar message of inclusion.
"Ours has always been a nation of great diversity and great promise," Obama said. "Anything is possible."
Obama was on hand last year in Copenhagen to help Chicago in its bid to host the 2016 Olympics. Despite his presence, Chicago was eliminated in the first round, and Rio de Janeiro was awarded the games.
The World Cup bid team noted that no infrastructure needs to be built to host the tournament in the U.S. The Americans also highlighted the growth of soccer in the country since it hosted the World Cup for the first time in 1994.
The single item that could sway voters toward the American bid is its moneymaking potential. Among the 18 proposed game sites are the new, suite-filled stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants and Jets.
Gulati went to great lengths to tell voters how much FIFA's television rights would increase with another tournament in America.
National team star Landon Donovan was introduced with a video of his goal against Algeria at this year's World Cup. He said his dream to play soccer at the highest level began after watching Argentina play Romania at the Rose Bowl during the 1994 tournament.
The vote for the 2018 World Cup site will also be decided Thursday, with England, Russia, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands competing for the honor. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin opted Wednesday to pull out of attending his country's bid presentation.
Putin said he decided to stay away because of what he called a smear campaign against FIFA voters that created doubts about the decision even before it was made.
The Sunday Times of London recorded a pair of executive committee members supposedly offering to sell their votes, and both were suspended. On Monday, the BBC aired a documentary alleging that several committee members took secret payments from FIFA's former marketing partner years ago.
The corruption allegations didn't stop England from pushing ahead in its bid, with David Beckham, Prince Williams and British Prime Minister David Cameron all schmoozing with FIFA voters in Zurich.
The other 2022 presenters did their best to highlight their nations' strongest qualities:
Australia used supermodel Elle Macpherson and an animated kangaroo to back up its catchphrase of being the "world's greatest playground."
Qatar, which may have had the slickest show, relied mainly on proving it can keep the country cool during the blazing hot summer months.
South Korea played the political angle, saying a World Cup on its soil could foster peace relations on the divided peninsula.
"We saw that football has the power to bring people together, to end enmity and to spur reconciliation," South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said. "It gave us a vision that the World Cup in 2022 can be a celebration of peace for Korea and the world."
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CHRIS LEHOURITES 12/ 1/10 07:01 PM ET Associated Press