Almost Clasico time...

Xaviesta =

Deco & Xavi > Xavi & Iniesta > Iniesta & Cesc

and to think Thiago & De Guzman will be breaking into the squad in the next couple of years... :|

In this day and age, it's quite the achievement to end a top flight game with nine homegrown players on the park. A collective virtual pat on the back for Barca.

Ronaldo's face from about the 50th minute onwards was an absolute picture.

England flop as Russia get World Cup

The recriminations over England's humiliating defeat in their attempt to win the 2018 World Cup has begun.

Russia won the vote by FIFA's 22-man executive committee in Zurich - leaving England, with just two votes, battered, baffled, and complaining of broken promises.

FIFA released the voting figures which showed England won just a single vote apart from Britain's FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson. In the first round even expected whipping boys Holland/Belgium secured four, Spain/Portugal seven and Russia nine.

Russia, who now have huge stadium building project on their hands, then won an outright majority in the second round of voting.

In the 2022 contest, Qatar beat the USA in the final round of voting - another controversial decision for a desert country half the size of Wales, with no stadia and where June temperatures can top 50 deg C.

Thompson said: "I cannot believe what has happened, and I am naturally very, very disappointed. The votes that were promised clearly didn't materialise.

"I never imagined we would go out in the first round."

FIFA's decision stunned the England bid team who had allowed themselves to become hopeful that the quality of the bid and the lobbying by Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron and David Beckham had put themselves in a promising position.

Asked if members had "looked him in the eye and lied", bid chief executive Andy Anson admitted: "I am not going to name names because that is not fair on individuals but clearly some people did - we thought we had seven or eight votes."

England 2018 leaders last month said that the bid had been damaged by a backlash against corruption investigations into FIFA members by BBC Panorama and the Sunday Times, a view backed up by London mayor Boris Johnson.

He said: "Clearly there was a feeling in the England 2018 team that all the furore and all the hoo-hah in the media damaged our chances.

"It's very hard to draw any other conclusion after not progressing beyond the first round.

Johnson added pointedly: "FIFA can't last in it's current form."

Beckham however said he hoped the suggestions about the anti-England backlash over the media were wrong.

The England midfielder said: "I've heard the rumours that we lost due to the British press. I hope that isn't the reason. I believe in a free press and they are incredibly supportive of the game I love."

Questions are sure to be asked how England 2018 performed so badly - even in the failed 2006 bid they managed five first-round votes.

Lord Mawhinney, the former Football League chairman and bid vice-chairman, hinted that the FIFA process needs looking at.

"Questions do emerge," said Mawhinney. "There's a temptation to say all sorts of things, but not tonight.

"It seems to be a legitimate question if the process should be different next time."

Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore said the very fact England had so many top-class stadia already in place appeared to have counted against them.

Scudamore said: "Taking the World Cup to two new territories and, in Qatar's case, mentioning Arab countries - that was the driver.

"They have decided to take the World Cups to developing areas.

"What's gone against us is not having to build 20 new stadia. It almost feels as if we are on standby for when somebody can't host it.

"That's all very well - but on that basis we will never get it."

Where England's bid went wrong?

So, after all the hype and all the expectation, it is Russia who will host the 2018 World Cup.

And England's team who once more taste World Cup failure.

It is something with which England are not unfamiliar. Not on the field, especially after the shambolic performance in South Africa last summer.

Not in the voting chamber, either, considering they were also beaten - by Germany - for the 2006 tournament.

You cannot blame the technicalities of England's latest bid. They could not have been more impressive, while the final presentation was impressive.

They rolled out support from Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Manchester City's Roberto Mancini and Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson and football folk spanning the generations from Sir Bobby Charlton to Gary Lineker to Alan Shearer.

They rolled out Prime Minister David Cameron to confirm England had the "expertise" and "passion" to host a "spectacular" show.

They rolled out football's most famous ambassador David Beckham to provide glamour and a 27-year-old in Eddie Afekafe, who works on Manchester City's community programmes, to give a human touch in explaining how football had changed his life.

And they rolled out Prince William, who alluded to his wedding to Kate Middleton next year in evidence of England's ability to put on big events.

You might rightly have misgivings about a nation's top politician and a future king joining in the horse-trading which goes on at FIFA, but you cannot complain about the weight which was thrown behind England's bid.

So why did it fail?

The obvious reason is because of the baggage it carried.

The Sunday Times cash-for-votes investigation, which saw two FIFA committee members banned, would have been viewed in some perverse quarters as an English attack on FIFA even if it had nothing to do with England's bid and was a commendable example of investigative journalism.

Then there was Lord Triesman, who resigned from his position as chairman of the FA and England's 2018 bid after accusing Russia and Spain of plotting to bribe referees at last summer's tournament.

And, of course, Monday's BBC Panorama programme earlier this week which accused FIFA committee members of corruption. Why, even on the eve of the vote crowd violence at Birmingham was relayed around the world and into the hotels of FIFA members. None of that can have helped.

Perhaps there was a perception of over-confidence, too, in the England bid as well as the fact that in some parts of the world England and the English simply are not viewed that favourably.

Whatever, it appears the English bid, despite a late flourish, could not overcome the drip-drip of negativity.

It is an almighty shame because a World Cup in 2018 would have provided an opportunity for the renaissance of England football.

It would have focused minds and resources on the national team rather than on the relentless pursuit of power and money by the Premier League.

It would have given the Football Association a vehicle, too, to restructure itself while giving the nation's schools and footballing youth a boost which money could not buy.

Yet, while it was a vote which was tough for football enthusiasts to take, it was also one which brought a cold shower of reality.

The fact is that everything does not start and end with England, even if it did give the organised football game to the world. Russia had a compelling argument, at least when it came to the footballing evangelists at FIFA.

Their bid included the building of 13 new stadia and new transport links and FIFA saw a chance to hand a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to an undeveloped footballing nation.

It is a gamble because of the sheer size of the country and the different time zones.

But FIFA saw their votes making change and a difference, rather than the safe, secure home England would have provided. The seasoned observers call it "legacy," something of a buzzword these days at FIFA.

It is why South Africa hosted last summer's tournament, why Brazil will host 2014 and why Qatar was chosen for 2022.

England could not compete with the attraction of spreading the footballing gospel, nor with taking the tournament to a nation where the World Cup would provide impetus for the regeneration of its impoverished regions.

Russia have also never staged the tournament which would also have been a powerful reason in the minds of some of the FIFA committee members.

It explains the vote. It does nothing to lessen the disappointment.

To be knocked ingloriously out of two World Cups in one year is tough to take.

Venables slams World Cup sham

Ex-England manager Terry Venables has hit out at FIFA's World Cup selection process calling it an "utter sham".

In his column for The Sun, Venables did not hold anything back as he expressed what undoubtedtly a lot of football fans in England must be feeling right now after their bid garnered a miserable two votes.

Venables wrote: "If you had given the script to the director of the new James Bond movie, he would have turned it down and accused it of being too far-fetched."

"England beat The Living Daylights out of their rival bids, but were still met by Dr No. Unbelievable. And, if we're being honest, unjust."

"We not only best met all of FIFA's critieria for the bid, we also jumped through their hoops, bent over backwards and went way above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring the World Cup to our shores for the first time since 1966."

Venables went on to state his opinion that: "FIFA led us to believe the bidding countries would be judged on things like stadiums, IT networks, transport links, hotels, training facilities and communications.

"That was clearly not so. After all, who in their right mind would score Russia above England in any of those categories? To do so, would be farcical, as anybody who has ever been beyond the old Iron Curtain would tell you.

However, Venables did admit he had no problem if FIFA had aimed to give the World Cup 2018 to a nation that had never hosted the competition before - he just wished they would have told the England FA earlier.

"It would have saved us £15 million and a lot of heartache," he wrote in his column for the Sun.

"Instead, the selection process became a charade - in fact a complete and utter sham.

"England never got the 2018 World Cup, because we were never going to get it."

On Thursday, Russia and Qatar were announced by FIFA to have won the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Putin: World Cup decision was fair

The contest to host the 2018 World Cup was "fair", Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin insisted.

The contest to host the 2018 World Cup was "fair", Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin insisted tonight.

Putin, who did not go to Zurich until after Russia was declared the winner, said the country was "honoured" by FIFA's decision and dismissed suggestions England's bid was cheated.

He told a press conference: "Each bid is very special and significant.

"Each bid is a challenge and we are honoured to win in this tough and fair fight."

Mr Putin dismissed the suggestion that England had been "cheated" out of holding the World Cup.

He replied: "No, I don't think. You know, Great Britain is a great football country and in Russia we have a lot of fans of your football in general and your football players in particular.

"Great Britain lost. It lost, but we are waiting for you in 2018 and we will do our best for the football players, for the English football players, for them to realise themselves."

Describing the power of football to make a difference in the world "for the better", Putin pledged a successful World Cup in eight years' time.

He said: "You can take my word for it that the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be up to the highest standards.

"New modern stadiums and facilities will be built in time and to perfection.

"We are eager to do our best to secure the comfort and safety of our guests.

"Thank you for supporting Russia.

"Together let us make sure that football promotes fair play, tolerance, honour."

Asked why he did not join the bid team to take part in the presentation, Putin said it was a "complicated" decision which he had made himself.

US World Cup bid shocked by Qatar

The head of the US World Cup bid team admitted defeat to Qatar to host the 2022 tournament was "very difficult to take".

The US, who hosted the World Cup in 1994, lost out to Qatar in today's vote at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, with bids from Australia, Korea and Japan also failing to sufficiently impress the voting executives.

The US had been considered a front-runner to host the World Cup in 12 years' time, but the momentum swung firmly to Qatar in recent weeks and the emirate lived up to its favourite's tag heading into today's vote.

US Soccer president Sunil Gulati told www.gousabid.com: "There's no way around it: I am disappointed.

"Millions of US soccer fans worked hard to bring the World Cup to our country. To come up short is very difficult to take."

Gulati nevertheless paid tribute to the weight of support the bid had received from football fans in the US.

"In the face of this disappointment, we shouldn't lose track of all that we achieved," he said.

"During the past two years, the outpouring of support for soccer in the United States has been inspiring and historic. More than one million people signed on to our bid, and more than 100 million [in the US] watched last summer's World Cup.

"Thanks to your efforts, the game is stronger than ever in our country, and it will continue to grow stronger. There's no question that you've helped make a lasting impact on soccer in the United States. The entire country - and the entire world - took notice.

"Even though our Bid did not win, the future of soccer is bright in the United States."

The US managed to take Qatar to a fourth round of votes after Australia were eliminated at the first hurdle, while Japan and Korea followed suit in rounds two and three.

Qatar enjoyed a five-vote advantage over the US after the third round, and although Korea's elimination freed up five further votes, the US only picked up two of those as the emirate outscored the American bid 14-8 in the final round to secure a majority.

The US bid was a predictably high-profile affair, with Gulati joined by former US President Bill Clinton and actor Morgan Freeman in the final charm assault on the FIFA executives.

US Attorney General Eric Holder was also present, as was Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and former US women's international Mia Hamm.

But it fell to President Barack Obama to fully articulate the American take on the outcome, telling reporters: "I think it was the wrong decision".

Qatari delight at historic win

Qatar has hailed FIFA's decision to award them the 2022 World Cup marks a "milestone" for the sport in the Middle East.

Bids from the United States and Australia had been fancied to emerge as victors but FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed that the emirate had come out on top in the vote by the world governing body's 22-man executive committee.

There had been concerns over staging the tournament in Qatar, especially as temperatures can rise to 50 degrees Celsius during the months of June and July.

But the bid team plan to control temperatures inside the grounds, which will be zero carbon emitting.

And Emir Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al-Thani believes the tournament offers the whole region a fantastic opportunity.

He said: "On behalf of millions of people living in the Middle East, thank you.

"Thank you for believing in us, thank you for having such bold vision. Thank you also for acknowledging this is the right time for the Middle East. We have a date with history which is summer 2022.

"We acknowledge there is a lot of work to do and we stand by our promise and we will honour the sacred trust given to us today. We will deliver with a lot of passion and we will make sure this is a milestone in the history of the Middle East and in the history of FIFA."

Qatar defeated the United States, who had former president Bill Clinton as honorary chairman to their bid and also enlisted the help of actor Morgan Freeman, in the final round of voting.

And US Soccer president Sunil Gulati told www.gousabid.com: "There's no way around it: I am disappointed.

"Millions of US soccer fans worked hard to bring the World Cup to our country. To come up short is very difficult to take."

Despite being viewed as one of the favourites Australia were dumped out of contention in the first round of the vote, securing just one vote.

But bid chief executive Ben Buckley was proud of the effort put in by his team, saying they had proven Australia to be a viable potential host for future stagings.

"We are obviously disappointed at the outcome in Zurich, however we are proud of the efforts we made in trying to secure a FIFA World Cup in Australia," Buckley said in a statement.

"We mounted a technically excellent, credible and responsible bid against enormous competition and this strong bid has delivered important benefits.

"Australia's reputation as a potential host for such a major event has been reinforced.

"The bid showcased Australia as an attractive destination for tourists and business and benefits will flow from this.

"For football in Australia, the coverage has boosted the game's profile and our international relationships have been strengthened.

"We sincerely thank the Australian public for their enthusiasm for the bid, the Australian governments for their unequivocal support and the many ambassadors who have supported Australia's bid along the way.

"Football in Australia will continue to grow with your support - and we thank you for that."

Taylor expects World Cup fallout

Graham Taylor believes a perception of England as "arrogant" ended their hopes of winning the 2018 World Cup.

Former England manager Taylor was unsurprised by England's failure to secure the hosting rights for the competition, which instead went to Russia, but insists the haul of just two votes from 22 could see FIFA placed under new scrutiny.

England's bid was roundly commended for its technical quality and readiness to host an effective and profitable World Cup but aside from their own vote, delivered by former FA Chairman Geoff Thompson, they gained the support of just one more FIFA representative.

Taylor, speaking to Radio Five Live, said: "I ask the question 'what were we expecting?'. FIFA, for me, is full of people who say 'yes' to your face and 'no' behind your back. Their reputation has not changed for many years.

"We (England) have little or no influence; we are considered to be arrogant and know-alls and FIFA don't have to answer to anyone.

"I'm surprised that we're surprised. This has been going on for years and we've been aware of a lot of things going on around the back."

British media investigations into FIFA practices and the conduct of influential members have been cited as one of the reasons England fared so badly in the voting, but Taylor believes they could yet come into their own.

"I have a feeling, perhaps, that it might be time...that they really need looking into and investigating and our journalists are very good at that.

"How long has this been going on? How long have been questions been asked of FIFA and when have they answered them?

"You don't want take away from Russia or Qatar but it may be that this is the trigger for it to get looked into."

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Aussies see positives in failed bid

The Football Federation of Australia believes the nation's reputation has been boosted despite their failed bid.

Qatar were the surprise winners to host the tournament after the 22-member FIFA executive committee voted to send the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time.

Australia, also attempting to host the tournament for the first time, could not even get past the first round after securing just a single vote.

But despite that miserly return Buckley believes Australia's bid had been worthwhile to help the growth of the sport Down Under.

"Congratulations to the two winning bidders for 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, Russia and Qatar," FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said in a statement.

"We are obviously disappointed at the outcome in Zurich, however we are proud of the efforts we made in trying to secure a FIFA World Cup in Australia.

"We mounted a technically excellent, credible and responsible bid against enormous competition and this strong bid has delivered important benefits.

"Australia's reputation as a potential host for such a major event has been reinforced.

"The bid showcased Australia as an attractive destination for tourists and business and benefits will flow from this.

"For football in Australia, the coverage has boosted the game's profile and our international relationships have been strengthened.

"We sincerely thank the Australian public for their enthusiasm for the bid, the Australian governments for their unequivocal support and the many ambassadors who have supported Australia's bid along the way.

"Football in Australia will continue to grow with your support - and we thank you for that."

Bid chief Frank Lowy told The Australian: "I am satisfied that we have done everything that we could have possibly done."

Inter moving for Guardiola?

Inter Milan are ready to enter the race to secure the services of coveted Barcelona gaffer Pep Guardiola.

With current Inter incumbent Rafa Benitez struggling in the San Siro hotseat after a series of disappointing results, it is believed that the European champions are also keeping tabs on Guardiola despite Inter president Massimo Moratti insisting that he will not fire Benitez.

Inter's desire to hand the coaching reins to Guardiola has intensified especially after they way he guided his side to an incredible 5-0 thumping against Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, it was even reported that Inter failed in an unsuccessful attempt to land Guardiola last season when Mourinho was pondering an offer from Madrid.

In the end, Guardiola penned a new deal until 2012 which coincided with the arrival of new Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.

Nevertheless, Inter patron Moratti is monitoring movements at Barcelona and is armed with a lucrative deal for the Spaniard should Guardiola decide to quit the Nou Camp.

However, Chelsea are also waiting in the wings with Blues owner Roman Abramovich interested in luring Guardiola to Stamford Bridge in the wake of recent developments surrounding Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Beckham: Momentum has shifted

David Beckham believes England's 2018 World Cup bid have the momentum behind them to mount a genuine challenge in FIFA's vote.

Beckham likened England's late surge to Manchester United's dramatic 1999 Champions League final victory.

The England midfielder said: "You can feel the momentum now. On Tuesday it was a day where we had to explain things and try to find out where everybody's heads and minds were at.

"[Yesterday] felt as if it had turned, the momentum was right behind us and we have the support of the country and many other countries."

Beckham was playing against Bayern Munich in 1999 when United came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 with extra-time goals from substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he sees parallels with the way England have come into contention after being viewed as third in the race only a couple of weeks ago:

Beckham said: "Ole is warming up! I think we are in a strong position."

He, Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron have spent the last three days lobbying FIFA members, and the impact of the prince has been a star turn.

"To have the future king of England turn round and say 'Have we got your vote?' is kind of a good weapon to have - and he has a wedding coming up," added Beckham.

Beckham also played a leading role in the final lobbying when London won the 2012 Olympics in Singapore five years ago, and he says securing the World Cup would mean as much if not more.

"Getting the Olympics to the East End was a huge thing but to bring the World Cup to your own country as an England player would be very, very special," he said.

He also believes the effect of the BBC Panorama allegations against FIFA members has been overcome.

Beckham added: "People have focused on the negative side of what has been said and we now are focused on the positive side.

"I think we can trust every one of the members. At the end of the day they are football people.

"They are going to want a World Cup in the best country that they think could host the biggest sporting event in the world. Without a doubt we can trust them."

Great, more pointless articles clogging up the thread. And worst of all, the last one you posted is a day late and a dollar short. Please stop.

So glad Qatar won their bid for the 2022 tournament. Only 12 years to go until I get to see their national team play.

So glad Qatar won their bid for the 2022 tournament. Only 12 years to go until I get to see their national team play.

^I used to live in Qatar as a child - and once saw them get demolished 7-0 by none other than... Crystal Palace!

So glad Qatar won their bid for the 2022 tournament. Only 12 years to go until I get to see their national team play.

^I used to live in Qatar as a child - and once saw them get demolished 7-0 by none other than... Crystal Palace!

The closest I've ever managed to get is playing against them on FIFA '95 for the Mega Drive.

So glad Qatar won their bid for the 2022 tournament. Only 12 years to go until I get to see their national team play.

^I used to live in Qatar as a child - and once saw them get demolished 7-0 by none other than... Crystal Palace!

The closest I've ever managed to get is playing against them on FIFA '95 for the Mega Drive.

^I suspect things are probably a little different now (they tend to "repatriate" Sudanese and Egyptian talents to bolster up the squad now... ), but back then I reckon a hastily assembled Bellazon 11 could have given them a run for their money!

Actually, they nearly made the '94 World Cup (neither Argentina's nor England's finest hour, eh?!) - I still make it a habit to see how they are doing in these qualifications all these years later.

Qatar's footballing heritage

^

What no-one in the British media seems to have realised is that the Russians had a far better insight into Sepp Blatter's psyche than we did. That's why their delegation included Natalia Vodianova, while we were stuck with David Cameron and Prince William.

When I saw Natalia in her leopard print dress, even my temporary gut reaction was "let's give it to Russia" - and it's common knowledge that Old Man Sepp's mind works in a similar kneejerk fashion. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's absence from the English campaign was a massive oversight on our part. :persuazn: