By Duncan Mackay
November 22 – Australia has recruited Andreas Abold (pictured), who helped Germany win its bid to host the 2006 World Cup and South Africa 2010, to give its campaign to stage the tournament in 2018 or 2022 a major boost.
The German, who leads abold, a Munich-based events management team, will now help plot Australia’s bid, including overseeing the 1,200 bid book that will set out in minute detail what stadiums will be used, accommodation plans and infrastructure details.
He said: ”We are working with Football Federation Australia (FFA) on all the upcoming milestones, such as the FIFA inspection visit which we expect to be in your winter – and definitely the final presentation.
“We will host the World Cup.”
Abold is already forming in his mind what are the key messages that Australia needs to convey to the 24 members of FIFA’s Executive Committee who will make the decision on what countries should host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at a meeting on December 2, 2010.
He said: ”At the very last moment you have to address your key messages to the 24 decision makers, and no one knows what will happen, which continents will be eliminated as it unfolds and which are still in contention.
“I know there is a certain perception of Australia as a ‘no worries’ country and this is what we want to communicate to FIFA, who after all will be handing over their most valuable asset, the World Cup.
“Our strategy is to say that in Australia you have a safe pair of hands – we know exactly how to deliver and that you can rely on our guarantees.
“We will repeat it again and again – also the fact the people are fun and open-minded, and sports fanatics with football as the fastest growing sport.”
Abold, who is also currently working on Munich’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, claimed that he had hand-picked the opportunity of working with Australia.
He said: ”I approached the FFA in March 2008, well before it was officially announced that they would bid.
“We had done our own evaluation of which country had the potential to become a strong bidder – for us it was a very easy choice.”
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