FIFA inspectors begin tour of Holland and Belgium 2018 World Cup bid

By Andrew Warshaw

August 9 – FIFA’s 2018/2002 World Cup inspection team rolled into Holland and Belgium today with the rank outsiders convinced they will not just be making up the numbers when the all-important vote is taken on December 2.

The four-day visit marks the first by the FIFA team in Europe where four candidates are going head-to-head to stage the 2018 tournament.

No-one outside the two Benelux countries gives them a realistic chance but that has not stopped the campaign gaining momentum in the last few days, with “back the bid” slogans co-inciding with the arrival of the FIFA team who landed in Brussels to be greeted by a string of sporting ambassadors including tennis star Justine Henin who gave the official welcome to the evaluation commission.

The team will spent the first two days in Belgium before crossing the border into the Netherlands, wrapping up their visit on Thursday (August 12) and then preparing to take in Russia, England and Spain-Portugal before heading to the United States and finally, in September, to Qatar.

All four European contenders believe they have a strong bid book but Dutch and Belgian officials are pinning their hopes on a green campaign, combined with a compactness that was sorely missing in South Africa and will be too in Brazil in 2014.

“We are emphasising ecology and the social role of football,” bid spokesman Francois Colin told insideworldfootball.

“We will also try to show them that we are a very compact bid.

“We want to prove that two small countries who work together can be good for the World Cup.

“It’s am important issue because most countries in the world cannot do it on their own yet can with a neighbour.”

Bid chief executive Harry Been was attending a funeral today and was therefore not present when the FIFA team arrived.

But Been will be playing a high-profile role during the remainder of the trip.

Despite their disgraceful behaviour in the World Cup final, for which they were fined by FIFA, Colin believes the fact the Netherlands reached the final will ultimately work in their favour.

“It’s clear that if the World Cup were here, no-one would need to be afraid that the host country - at least one of them anyway - would be eliminated in the second round,” he said.

“For sure the publicity around the final could have been better but the same goes for Spain.”

Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1740566782labto1740566782ofdlr1740566782owedi1740566782sni@w1740566782ahsra1740566782w.wer1740566782dna1740566782