Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, left, abstained from World Cup bidding in Zurich after allegations of corruption. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Currently, various nations are entering bids to win the hosting rights to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, the bidding process is getting blasted for being rife with corruption. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has boycotted the voting procedures in Zurich.
Allegations of corruption in World Cup bidding
The bidding process is currently ongoing in Zurich, Switzerland, for the right to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup, or informally the Soccer World Cup. British media recently made accusations that Russia bribed an official to vote in Russia’s favor, which prompted Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to skip the proceedings, according to CNN. He strongly condemned the allegations as dragging the bidding process through the mud and accused the British of engaging in unfair competition with the accusations. Other political heavyweights, such as Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and Bill Clinton, are in Zurich lobbying for their respective nations.
Nations in the Running
The front-runners for the 2018 World Cup, according to The Telegraph, are Russia and England, along with joint bids from Spain and Portugal and Belgium and Holland. For the 2022 World Cup, the leading bids are from Qatar, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia. The United States and England lead their respective groups, as both have the infrastructure and the cash to put on a World Cup easily. Both the U.S. and U.K. have hosted world cups before.
Rights for the World Cup are prestigious
World cups, such as the football, a.k.a. soccer world cup, cricket world cup or rugby world cup, bring prestige to the host nation, along with a lot of revenue. Thousands of tourists arrive to cheer on their countrymen and watch the pinnacle of world sport. It isn’t free, either; new stadiums often need to be built and the host country often has to pay the governing body a lot of money should the bid be successful.
