The news from Zurich was not good...for Australia that is.
On the other hand if you are one of the 1.6m Qatarites in the world, the news was great!
Not only did Australia not win the the right to host the 2022 World Cup, we only got one vote and were the first country eliminated!! I blame Elle myself! Gotta blame somebody!
The Poms were equally disappointed, losing the 2018 WC to Russia and suffering the same ignominy, being first eliminated in the vote.
I would have loved to have seen the World Cup Finals played in Australia but putting it in perspective, soccer is poorly supported in this country. Lots of kids play it but once it gets to professional level soccer is at the bottom of the totem pole beneath Aussie Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union. "A League" soccer crowds average less than 5000 a game and over 10,000 is considered a great crowd whereas AFL games regularly attract 30,000+ for "ordinary" games and up to 90,000 for the big games. Rugby League still holds sway in NSW and Queensland but their crowds are unimpressive by comparison, with 20,000 considered a great crowd.
On the world stage, soccer is definitely Number One, but here in Australia it runs a long way behind the indigenous game and as a result of this morning's decision, probably will for a very long time to come.
Tragedy in the Kimberley
Meanwhile, in news from the family, Favourite Daughter sent a very sad text this morning letting us know that a teacher from Halls Creek High School and two young men were killed in a horror car crash last night, with two other children badly injured. FD is in Halls Creek at the moment, visiting her friend Casey and the kids she worked with at the school last year so it is particularly devastating for her and the town.
Having dealt with families and school communities in the aftermath of tragic deaths many times while I was a school chaplain, I know how terrible this event will be for all the family and friends concerned and what a pall of grief and sadness will have descended upon the town and the school. We are praying for them.
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