US to wine, dine FIFA inspectors

Associated Press

NEW YORK

FIFA’s World Cup inspectors will have breakfast at the White House today, a highlight of their three-day tour of potential stadiums and facilities for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

FIFA’s executive committee votes on both hosts Dec. 2, and the U.S. is the eighth of nine stops on the tour. Europe is expected to be awarded the 2018 tournament, with England, Russia, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands competing.

The U.S. is up against Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea for 2022. The American bid is likely to be boosted by China’s interest in hosting in 2026 — FIFA rules specify consecutive World Cups can’t be on the same continent, meaning an Asian host in 2022 would eliminate China as a 2026 site. Australia is part of soccer’s Asian confederation.

“China has extraordinary growth and would be in an inviting host,” U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said at a news conference Tuesday that began the tour. “They put on a spectacular Olympic games. And I think there’s a lot of people in the world who think China is an important player, certainly in the world economy, in the world of sports and would be a great host at some time in the future. Whether that’s 2026 or beyond is up to FIFA.”

It was unclear whether President Barack Obama will attend today’s breakfast with the six-man FIFA delegation, headed by Chilean soccer federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls. Obama hosted the U.S. team in May, and former President Bill Clinton is chairman of the U.S. bid. Clinton attended World Cup matches in South Africa.