By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
June 25 -Former President Bill Clinton, the honorary chairman of the United States bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, has admitted that people’s negative views of the country could scupper their chances.
Clinton is playing an increasingly important role in the US bid, having sat beside Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, and Issa Hayatou, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), during his team’s last-grasp victory over Algeria on Wednesday (June 23) to qualify for the round of last 16.
The US is seen as one of the favourites to host the 2022 World Cup, where their main opposition is expected to come from Australia, which would be the second time they have hosted the tournament, having previously staged it in 1994.
Clinton said: ”The way this bid is organised, already organised venues that can right now seat the required number of people, and they are sufficiently diverse that we can follow through on our claim to get you a home team.
“I think it would be good for America if we can do it.
“I think it would be good for soccer worldwide if we could do it.”
But Clinton admitted that the fact they had held the World Cup as recently as 1994 and the US’s unpopular foreign policy could be a major barrier.
He said: ”There’s one issue: are we worthy?
“Is our game good enough?
“And then there’s how do people feel about us as a country?
“Everything we do is in high-definition, whether it’s Arizona law, what our policy in Afghanistan is.”
United States Soccer Federation (USSF) President Sunil Gulati has already that warned that Phoenix might have to be dropped from its bid if Arizona does not amend its controversial immigration law.
The law gives officials unprecedented power to detain individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.
Some members of the powerful Central and South American football confederations are reluctant to play in a state where their citizens could face harassment, or simply oppose the law as a matter of principle.
Last month the NBA basketball team The Phoenix Suns changed the name on their team jersey from “The Suns” to “Los Suns” for a play-off game as a nationally broadcast protest against the law.
“It rings up images of Nazi Germany,” Suns general manager Steve Kerr said of the law, which has also been condemned by the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA Players Association and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Performers Shakira, Kanye West, Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson and Hall and Oates have all cancelled scheduled concerts in Arizona.
Mexico announced last month that they were backing the US World Cup bid but the Arizona law is proving particularly unpopular there and there is increasing pressure for the Mexican Football Association to withdraw its support until it is repeeled.
The Mexican-based World Boxing Council, representing the second-biggest sport in Mexico, has already placed a ban on competing in Arizona and denounced the law as racist.
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