Australian World Cup bid revved up after new Prime Minister meets Blatter

By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

October 3 – Australia’s new Prime Minister Julia Gillard (pictured) has met FIFA President Sepp Blatter in Zurich tonight on her first overseas trip as the country’s leader.

Gillard visited Blatter on her way to making her maiden appearance with world leaders at the Asia-Europe meeting in Brussels and emphasised that her she is as much behind Australia’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup as her predecessor, Kevin Rudd.

The Federal Labour Government has already invested heavily in Australia’s bid by pumping $45 million (£28 million) into the campaign and Gillard’s courting of Blatter two months out from the final by FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee reinforced that commitment, she hoped.

“I obviously urged him to see the merits of Australia’s bid for the World Cup,” the Welsh-born Gillard said after the meeting.

Gillard admitted that she did not know if her brief visit would have any effect on the race, in which Australia are seen as one of the favourites along with Qatar and the United States.

“I suspect inherent in the job of being president of FIFA is that you are pretty good at holding your cards close to your chest,” said Gillard, who became Australia’s first female Prime Minister in June after Rudd lost the support of the party.

“And at the end of the day this is a voting structure and so the votes will come in in December.

“So we were - in his terms – like a Formula One driver at the starting line with the car fully fuelled and the engine is on, whether we will win the race we will know in December.”

But Gillard was happy she had met Blatter.

“We are a great sporting nation, one of the biggest in the world and Australia has a great track record running such events including the Olympics and Commonwealth Games,” she said.

“This was a great opportunity to talk through the bid before December.”

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