Lord Triesman and David Beckham in South Africa
As the likes of David Beckham do their bit to help drum up support for England's 2018 World Cup bid, Amos Adamu, who holds one of the 24 crucial votes, explains the decision making process.
From World Football Insider
FIFA Executive Committee member Amos Adamu was poker-faced when asked which of the 10 World Cup bids he favored in the race to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals.
The Nigerian holds one of FIFA’s 24 crucial votes which will decide where the finals will go in December 2010. Earlier this week he held private talks with England 2018 bid ambassador, Paul Elliott, but refused to come out in favor of any country.
“I’m listening to all the committees and everybody’s trying to talk and make a case for their bid. It’s very interesting,” he told reporters.
“He tried to convince me they have a good bid, which is what everybody is doing,” Adamu said of his meeting with Elliott.
'Key element'
He said that the FA’s development work could be a “key element” for the FIFA Executive Committee’s African members.
“In this game we want to see how the continent can benefit from football,” he said.
“I’m listening, but I don’t think now. I just want to keep it open and see at the end who will have a better bid.”
Adamu added that he had no problems with England 2018 using their lobbying of FIFA executive members for PR purposes, which has drawn private criticism from rival bids.
Legacy
He told WFI that he had received delegations from “almost all” of the 10 bid countries.
Adamu gave no indication that FIFA might look for a “safe bet” in 2018, after tournaments in South Africa and Brazil, which lack the TV and ticketing bonanzas promised by a European finals.
He did, however, hint that FIFA may favor a finals with a lasting legacy.
“What is more important is what we can do to develop the game,” he said. “We have some areas that are more developed than others and we want to see development go around the whole world.”
'Pride'
Looking ahead to next summer’s finals in South Africa, where Adamu is currently visiting the Soccerex exhibition, he spoke with great enthusiasm for the tournament.
“It is a thing of pride for us in Africa because FIFA has given Africa an opportunity to show what it can do.
"The under-20 [World Cup] was held in Egypt, the under-17 in Nigeria, and the World Cup in Africa opens it up to a lot of people who wouldn’t have known of its capabilities.
“I’m very happy that FIFA has given us this opportunity. A lot of people in the whole wide world will know the opportunities in Africa.”
From World Football Insider
