Mayor cancels FIFA's London 2012 rooms

[Pavilionaire]

FIFA's decision to go with Russia is doubly risky because if they don't deliver and aren't ready there are only realistically 2 venues that could host with 3 months notice are Germany (who held it in 2006, so a non-starter) and England.

What I'd like to know is who the reserve nation are in the event Russia don't deliver.

I expect hotel accommodation could be a problem in Russia, as I doubt there's much tourism in Yaroslavl, Samara or Saransk. If they purpose build hotels just for the tournament then what will they do with them afterwards - turn them into brothels run by the mafia?

 

[sten_super]

FIFA's decision to go with Russia is doubly risky because if they don't deliver and aren't ready there are only realistically 2 venues that could host with 3 months notice are Germany (who held it in 2006, so a non-starter) and England.

What I'd like to know is who the reserve nation are in the event Russia don't deliver.

You say that, but I'm not sure it really is risky, purely because they will throw so much money at it. Qatar is the same; the people in charge would not allow things to go tits up as it would be bad for the 'image' of the nation. Putin will simply shoot a few people/hand out a few more bribes until all of the work is done.

 

[Pavilionaire]

How can it not be risky? Nobody's heard of half of the host cities, so won't have a clue what's there, how to get there or where to stay.

Additionally, how many massive sporting events have these towns ever hosted, and what experience do the local police have in policing these events and making sure the punters are safe?

No amount of money can compensate for those factors.

 

[The Spanish]

FIFA's decision to go with Russia is doubly risky because if they don't deliver and aren't ready there are only realistically 2 venues that could host with 3 months notice are Germany (who held it in 2006, so a non-starter) and England.

What I'd like to know is who the reserve nation are in the event Russia don't deliver.

I expect hotel accommodation could be a problem in Russia, as I doubt there's much tourism in Yaroslavl, Samara or Saransk. If they purpose build hotels just for the tournament then what will they do with them afterwards - turn them into brothels run by the mafia?

every time this comes up now. what if they are not ready in time? i.e. anyone who isnt British or Anglo and therefore will be inevitably just sitting in a pile of rubble and brieze blocks shrugging their shoulders as the opening ceremony kicks off around them waiting to be rescued by us who could 'hold it tomorrow', which if i was not english would have f***ing made me vote against us for just that phrase.

it reminds me of the lad in the inbetweeners in the fashion show gointg 'well i am first reserve then'. not going to happen and even considering it is a self delusion and arrogance that helped get us to this point in the first place.

they will turn the stadiums into brothels by the mafia. come on the mafia/russia line has been done to death this week and its not getting any funnier. but its not racist. qatar will turn them into beheading and flogging venues. bit iffier. south africa have not turned theirs into necklacing and passing on serious ilnessess arenas. now we are on dodgy ground. any more? using this train of thought we could have turned ours into x factor venues and special public mass weeping bitching and blaming everyone else stadia.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

FIFA's decision to go with Russia is doubly risky because if they don't deliver and aren't ready there are only realistically 2 venues that could host with 3 months notice are Germany (who held it in 2006, so a non-starter) and England.

What I'd like to know is who the reserve nation are in the event Russia don't deliver.

I expect hotel accommodation could be a problem in Russia, as I doubt there's much tourism in Yaroslavl, Samara or Saransk. If they purpose build hotels just for the tournament then what will they do with them afterwards - turn them into brothels run by the mafia?

I don't see why Spain & Portugal couldn't do it - their bid was more or less in the same state as ours and they have all the hotel space (that we didn't). Blatter will not let it come here whatever happens - I think he would rather cancel it than let us have it. Besides, the Russians will be ready - whether anyone wants to go there is another thing.

For Quatar, I suspect that the infrastructure will be so well done with a huge amount of money spent on it (think they're talking £50b), so there will be a certain number of people wanting to go there for the facilities and for somewhere different - whether it can be successful from a footballing perspective I doubt. That is all beside the point when a small country with no footballing tradition should not have got it in the first place.

 

[sten_super]

How can it not be risky? Nobody's heard of half of the host cities, so won't have a clue what's there, how to get there or where to stay.

Additionally, how many massive sporting events have these towns ever hosted, and what experience do the local police have in policing these events and making sure the punters are safe?

No amount of money can compensate for those factors.

Wait a minute; your first post was talking about not delivering, suggesting you meant stadia and facilities. These will definitely be ready, as money does make a difference. Other factors such as policing wouldn't lead to the need for an alternative anyway, as it would be far too late (i.e. after the tournament started) that these things became apparent.

 

[CHAPPERS]

All very well Boris doing this, but why were they staying there free in the first place?

I would also be interested to know this. What a load of shit. They get £300 a day allowance from FIFA anyway and they're all rich as f***. f***ing freebies are bribes. f*** f*** f***

 

[Simster]

Shirley you are not suggesting that no change is required. The system needs changing. It lends itself to corruption - and we have seen it clearly in the last week. What weakens our position is that we participated in the grubby charade - so a demand to change the system looks like sour grapes. But a complete overhaul is needed.

Totally agree with this. The fact that we did participate certainly weakens our position, but what strengthens it is the fact that our bid was clearly worthy of far more than just two votes out of 22.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Apparently the Qatari stadiums will be taken apart after the WC and rebuilt in third world countries, how ridiculous is that.

 

[Simster]

Apparently the Qatari stadiums will be taken apart after the WC and rebuilt in third world countries, how ridiculous is that.

Yes, and the irony is that they'll use labour from third world countries (and pay them about 15p an hour) to do it. This is how it is in Qatar apparently.

Qatar is a nightmare waiting to happen. We won't see a more shit world cup in my lifetime.

 

[The Spanish]

Apparently the Qatari stadiums will be taken apart after the WC and rebuilt in third world countries, how ridiculous is that.

not very at all.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Wait a minute; your first post was talking about not delivering, suggesting you meant stadia and facilities. These will definitely be ready, as money does make a difference. Other factors such as policing wouldn't lead to the need for an alternative anyway, as it would be far too late (i.e. after the tournament started) that these things became apparent.

My comments about policing were in response to the comment that Russia hosting wasn't risky. As for the stadia and facilities, yes even if they get built (and that's a big IF) what about the infrastructure that goes with that, i.e. roads in and out, bus services etc.

I thought South Korea had a lot of money but their grand prix circuit and amenities weren't properly finished for the race this year. We've also seen it with the Indian Commonwealth Games. I simply don't think the Russians will deliver.

 

[desprateseagull]

why was ANYONE getting free hotels, tix, ffs? not like they cant afford them..

 

[CHAPPERS]

not very at all.

Why does the third world need stadiums? Can't they give them something else instead, like a hospital?

 

[The Spanish]

Why does the third world need stadiums? Can't they give them something else instead, like a hospital?

i think you need to do a bit of reading up on the charitable donations and programmes on gulf royal families, whether you find their culture and their arriviste pretensions annoying and distasteful or not.

blimey there has been an outburst of low level anti arab racism dressed up as human rights concerns and ill informed bullshit pouring out of the UK for a nearly week now. yes they might be the global equivalent of Mikey Carroll and plenty of subcontinental labour might be treated like dirt (arguably you could blame the indian bangladeshi pakistani and filipino governments first for not beng able to support their own people) but some of the stuff being trotted out is priceless.

 

[desprateseagull]

actually, i reckon Boris SHOULD let them come over, get to hotel, check in..

but THEN tell them someone else took their rooms..

 

[Tubby Mondays]

Publicity stunt by Boris. End of story.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I don't think Diana would have liked you.

Ask her - http://twitter.com/DianaInHeaven

I think Di might like the cut of Edna's jib

 

[Don Quixote]

I tell you what, we would have won if Tony Blair was PM.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Why does the third world need stadiums? Can't they give them something else instead, like a hospital?

It has been known for dissidents in military dictatorships to be rounded up,taken to football stadiums and shot.