Spain and Portugal fear FIFA distaste for joint bid

Good food and accommodation, warm weather, modern stadiums and a century of soccer tradition are all sound reasons to hold the 2018 World Cup in Spain and Portugal, the two nations' officials say.  

Stacked against their joint bid, though, is FIFA's apparent reluctance to stage global soccer's premier competition across two countries. 

A FIFA technical report published last week noted that co-hosting "could pose challenges...in terms of ensuring consistent standards and implementation in various areas such as legal, IT, frequencies, safety and security." 

Angel Maria Villar, president of the Spanish soccer federation and a FIFA vice president, acknowledged the reservations expressed in the report but said FIFA president Sepp Blatter did not personally oppose joint bids.

"The president himself...is the very person who has noted that any reservations about a joint bid can be addressed," he said in an interview published in Spain's Marca sports daily on Friday. "Blatter has never opposed it."

The World Cup has only once been split between two hosts, when Japan and South Korea shared the task in 2002.

The Spanish feel their triumph at this year's World Cup in South Africa deserves reward.  

They also argue that they have the necessary expertise, having hosted the tournament in 1982, while Portugal was the venue for the 2004 European Championship.

Both countries have some impressive stadiums such as the Nou Camp in Barcelona, the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and Portugal's finest in Lisbon and Porto.       

New stadiums are being built in Valencia and Madrid while others are at the drawing-board stage in Bilbao and Zaragoza.                                           

Bid chief executive Miguel Angel Lopez said publicly this week that he believed the bid would attract at least eight votes in the first round of the executive committee poll, leaving him moderately confident of winning against England, Russia and another joint bid, Netherlands-Belgium.   


Single centre                           

Gilberto Madail, Portuguese soccer federation president, said the Iberian bidders were well aware of FIFA's attitude and had taken steps to address it.      

"We well understood before presenting our candidacy that FIFA's big problem was with two different centres," he told Marca.                                           

"That's why we presented a single bid with a single centre, which is Madrid. It's as if the whole of Iberia was one country."

The Spanish-Portuguese candidacy has also been overshadowed by allegations in a British newspaper of voting collusion with Qatar, who are bidding for the 2022 World Cup which will also be decided in the Dec. 2 voting. 

The charges were vigorously denied by the countries, and FIFA's ethics committee, which investigated the case, decided they were unfounded.      

Madail said the FIFA committee's ruling confirmed that what he called "rumours spread by certain English media" had no basis in fact. 

Villar added: "Our bid explained to FIFA that there was no pact with Qatar or anyone else. There was no fear of being found guilty because there was nothing to accuse us of. 

"In a sporting battle we all use our weapons but within the rules. But, yes, it is a fight as we all want to win."                                           

Another potential stumbling block for the bid is the financial crisis gripping the two nations. The fallout may lead to delays in building a high-speed rail link between the neighbours, seen as a key part of the infrastructure.                

"It's true that the economic situation is not good but it won't prevent us from fulfilling our commitments," said Madail.