Blatter liked it

How Japan and Korea worked for the first world championship in Asia, was first organized by two countries. The difficulties of the material and technical support of the tournament, the need for travel between the two countries through the sea at first bothered the participants, but the interaction of Kowoc and Jawoc was perfect, and the world football family received convincing facts of reality of such projects. We are sure that the valuable experience of Korea And Japan is useful to any future tournament, which will be jointly held by several countries. "

This is an excerpt from the joint statement of Korean (Kowoc) and Japanese (JAWOC) organizing committees of the World Cup. They are satisfied with the fact that the mundial - their common child - was born without serious complications. The history of Euro 2000 did not repeat. There were no customs, transport and organizational difficulties in Asia. Perhaps Jawoc and Kowoc took into account the mistakes of their Belgian and Dutch predecessors. Perhaps Asian functionaries - by nature, people are more organized and executive. One way or another, FIFA’s collective experiment was a success.

Joseph Blatter shares the position of two organizing committees, not forgetting to rule: “I don’t think there are any obstacles to the joint organization of the mundials in the near future. The joint organization gives the World Cup a new atmosphere and takes it to another cultural level. The only wish: the world championship should have a single organizing committee, and not two different ones, as in Japan and Korea. ' Blatter, as an honest person, was obliged to do the last reservation. Not everything went smoothly. The most significant problems are when distributing tickets and the purpose of arbitrators. The reform of the judicial system is already declared the first person of FIFA. A clear ticket program with a single controlling center is possible rather than with their set.

In this correction of Blatter, a new test is hidden for the organization led by him: if FIFA continues the practice of joint mundials, but now with one organizing committee, this will be another experiment. In which of the countries of future coalitions this headquarters will be created? Will he be able to effectively control the boundaries that in the world in the world are not as transparent as in united Europe? There will be much more similar issues if joint applications for the organization of the mundials are not received from two states, but from three or four. The geographical proximity of participants in potential alliances is not an indisputable basis for perfect cooperation. Japan with Korea, in this sense, is not just a 'story of relationships', but - the story is largely common: Seoul with the environs was a member of the Japanese Empire half a century ago. Then it was called 'colonization', today, in the terms of football - even a certain plus.

Russia has a special interest in all these Ententes: two weeks did not have passed, as the initiative group of our compatriots presented in UEFA the Euro-2008 organization project, supported by serious calculations and government guarantees for a quarter of a billion dollars. Before these and other amounts begin to master football in Russia, the European Union will have to decide: to hold on to the world line of FIFA or go its own way. Five of the seven candidates for Euro 2008 are interethnic coalitions. Two more are Russia and Hungary. Before the successful experience of FIFA in Asia, it was believed that the Hungarians and I were the main favorites. Somehow the situation is now?

The opposition of UEFA and her President Lennart Johanson to Blatter are encouraging. It is alarming - the Swedish of this very Johansson origin, because among applicants is an incredible Nordic -2008 project, where Sweden merged with Denmark, Norway and Finland. But on December 13, at the UEFA Executive Committee, when the winners are announced, common sense is simply obliged to take the top.

07/01/2002 / Roman Trushechkin