A GAME OF TWO HALVES..

So, tomorrow we will know which country has been awarded the doubtful privilege of hosting the 2018 Football World Cup.   The `selection process` almost confirms my contention yesterday that the `serious` people have a lot to answer for, whilst leaving  sanity and reason to those who play and follow the game.

For months now, the competing bids from England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Holland have been the subject of much scrutiny by FIFA and their self- appointed Executive Committee.   There have been all expenses paid, first class visits to the bidding countries, meetings with heads of state, prime ministers and football icons, presentations of official bid dossiers and, whisper it quietly, various attempts to influence the decision makers by holding out promises of considerable profit, sometimes involving covert hand manipulation.  Allegedly.

And all for the singular honour of laying on a month long event which will see teams from all over the world competing on chosen fields of dreams to kick a pig`s bladder between two sticks more times than their opponents.   Of course, it all makes for an enduring image, a rich spectacle and a month of high anxiety, tight security, soaring hope and the inevitable lingering disappointment.

It does seem odd that the selection of which country should host this event is made by people who, by and large, haven`t ever played the game at any reasonable level but who seem to have climbed the greasy pole of football administration through other talents.   The problem with that is that the ultimate choice of venue then rests more with `political` and other motives than with any true acknowledgement of worth.   In that respect, FIFA`s selection process more and more resembles the Eurovision Song Contest but without the songs. 

Of course, should tomorrow`s decision go England`s way, then there will be much dancing in the streets of the host towns and cities where the games will be played, much admiration for the bid team and also for those who have fronted the bid in Zurich for the last few days - including our future King, our present Prime Minister and the surely soon to be knighted David Beckham.   Having forgiven `Becks` for the cardinal sin of having played for Manchester United, I have actually `gone on` him recently - since he stopped playing seriously - for he seems genuinely to represent the true football fans, the `ordinary` folk, as he plays a compelling role in supporting England`s bid whilst deservedly treading the corridors of high office.

In the end, it`s all about the game.   It`s always been the working man`s game;  a gentleman`s game played by hooligans maybe, but a game that arouses a deep passion, a lifelong devotion and a willingness to suffer and rejoice in equal measure to follow its twists, turns and contradictions.   But  those who kick the pig`s bladder around and those who watch and support them represent only one half of the game.   The other half seems to be represented by the pampered, sedentary, open to offers chancers who have climbed their greasy pole for other reasons.   If ever there was a game of two halves, then the FIFA World Cup selection process is surely it.