Why are Australians bad losers?

[d_henderson1810]

Over the last day, all I have heard from Australians are that we didn't get the World Cup because the system is corrupt etc. The funny thing is, I knew that Australians would find some excuse for not winning the bid.

You see, Australians can never lose gracefully. Look at the Olympics. Every time someone from another country beats us in the pool, it is suggested it is because they are a "drug cheat". In fact, Aussies carry on like they are the only ones who never cheat with drugs at the Olympics, while everyone else does (you can't tell me, in the history of the Games, not one Australian has ever used performance-enhancing drugs. The odds would say otherwise).

Now, we get the "corruption" excuse. First it is applied to cricket, where the sub-continent is accussed of "corruption" (though, I think some Australians think that their crime is being dark-coloured). Now, we don't win the WC bid because the selection process was corrupt.

I remember when Melbourne missed out on the '96 Olympics. At school, kids blamed Ted Turner using his money to snag the Games for Atlanta, like the process was corrupt. The funny thing was, four years later, when Sydney got the 2000 games, I hear no such corruption claims. How come? It's the same selection committee. Why were they corrupt in 1996, and not in 2000?

I wonder if corruption claims would be made if we won the 2022 World Cup? I think not. You see, only committees that don't do what Australia wants are corrupt, and only other athletes cheat with drugs. Never Australians.

Why don't we admit the fact that Australia didn't win the bid, because we are not ready, not a soccer nation, too far away, not in a good time zone, and maybe, just maybe, we were beaten by a better bid on the day? Face it. We're not the best at everything, and this xenopobic carry-on, like it is our God-given right to host a Cup, or be good at every sport, is pretty pathetic. We need to grow up, and learn to lose gracefully, or we will look like we are acting disgracefully.

 

[Hawks1523]

To be fair, when the rumors are flying around that FIFA officials and Qatar officials are seen hugging the morning of the announcement and that a Tv station ran with them winning the bid an hour before the official announcement, it seems pretty fishy to me.

 

[d_henderson1810]

To be fair, when the rumors are flying around that FIFA officials and Qatar officials are seen hugging the morning of the announcement and that a Tv station ran with them winning the bid an hour before the official announcement, it seems pretty fishy to me.

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Maybe so, but even if this hadn't happened, Aussies would still cry "corruption" if we didn't win the WC.

You see Australia has form when it comes to whinging about unfairness, and how we are the "morally superior" country. Maybe I would be more sympathetic if Australians didn't cry wolf so often about sports events not going their way.

 

[Zidane98]

Gotta laugh at comparing the loss of Melbourne 1996 to being done over by Qatar for World Cup 2022.


Most of us on here have always said that we would be not happy but understand if USA were chosen over Australia as hosts, but when a country that does not meet FIFA's requirements, has a climate of 40 degrees plus average in June/July, has a population smaller then Brisbane and needs to use foreigners to promote its bid then we have every right to be upset as proud Australians.

Australia put in a technically superb bid which was acknowledged in FIFA's technical reports (which also damned Qatar). As a nation we are/were more then ready to host a football World Cup, far more so then Qatar could ever hope to be.

I have no issue losing to a bid that is superior but I do have a problem when Qatari politics and corruption con us out of our dream of an Aussie World Cup. Even more disturbing was Bin Hammam who engineered votes against us and the USA to put Qatar in a strong position come the final rounds.

I sincerely hope that a good portion of the world's football nations boycott Qatar 2022 and have their own little unofficial tournament. I cannot, and no Australian should stomach, a country that is the highest per capita user of oil, water, gas and just about every other natural resource who creates obscene amounts of wealth by manipulating world oil markets and shafting consumers such as ourselves over oil.

Their society is a joke, they treat hordes of subcontinent workers like garbage whilst squandering obscene amounts of money on themselves. Normally it is nearly impossible to become a citizen of the stinking shithole that Qatar is but mention the fact that you are a Brazillian footballer who is very good but ultimately has no chance of representing Brazil all of a sudden you are given Qatari citizenship and are playing for the national team 5 years later.

I really hope that we get to meet Qatar in the Asian cup now because let me guarantee you that will be one big grudge match, our boys will teach them a footballing lesson if we do meet them in the 1/4's and beat that desert rat stinking piece of shit nation 10-0 and show them for what they are. Maybe then FIFA will yank their hosting rights and realise what they have done.


Rant Over.

 

[krusden]

Over the last day, all I have heard from Australians are that we didn't get the World Cup because the system is corrupt etc. The funny thing is, I knew that Australians would find some excuse for not winning the bid.

You see, Australians can never lose gracefully. Look at the Olympics. Every time someone from another country beats us in the pool, it is suggested it is because they are a "drug cheat". In fact, Aussies carry on like they are the only ones who never cheat with drugs at the Olympics, while everyone else does (you can't tell me, in the history of the Games, not one Australian has ever used performance-enhancing drugs. The odds would say otherwise).

Now, we get the "corruption" excuse. First it is applied to cricket, where the sub-continent is accussed of "corruption" (though, I think some Australians think that their crime is being dark-coloured). Now, we don't win the WC bid because the selection process was corrupt.

I remember when Melbourne missed out on the '96 Olympics. At school, kids blamed Ted Turner using his money to snag the Games for Atlanta, like the process was corrupt. The funny thing was, four years later, when Sydney got the 2000 games, I hear no such corruption claims. How come? It's the same selection committee. Why were they corrupt in 1996, and not in 2000?

I wonder if corruption claims would be made if we won the 2022 World Cup? I think not. You see, only committees that don't do what Australia wants are corrupt, and only other athletes cheat with drugs. Never Australians.

Why don't we admit the fact that Australia didn't win the bid, because we are not ready, not a soccer nation, too far away, not in a good time zone, and maybe, just maybe, we were beaten by a better bid on the day? Face it. We're not the best at everything, and this xenopobic carry-on, like it is our God-given right to host a Cup, or be good at every sport, is pretty pathetic. We need to grow up, and learn to lose gracefully, or we will look like we are acting disgracefully.

your argument falls down a bit with the highlighted garbage.

however, we're not "bad losers". I think we're mostly ticked off because it seems as though australia was "led on" by certain FIFA officials that we had a genuine chance when in fact we did not.

also the fact that we were beaten by a nation that has 1.5 million people, no stadiums and 50 degree temperatures at the time the cup will be on is an absolute joke and it plainly has nothing to do with "growing the game in the middle east" but how much money the oil-rich sheiks threw at the bent, corrupt FIFA officials. Even if the game had gone to America it could be justified as part of "growing the game in a new environment" but Qatar is a joke.

bad losers? hardly. but we are permitted to be a bit grouchy

 

[Zidane98]

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Maybe so, but even if this hadn't happened, Aussies would still cry "corruption" if we didn't win the WC.

You see Australia has form when it comes to whinging about unfairness, and how we are the "morally superior" country. Maybe I would be more sympathetic if Australians didn't cry wolf so often about sports events not going their way.

The general feeling was that if the US got it, we wouldn't be happy but we would understand. We have every right to be outraged about World Cup 2022 going to Doha.

 

[Pessimistic]

You dont think we can make a value judgement on whether it is EVER worth wasting money at FIFAs door again ?

The winning bid just ignored criteria which were supposedly set in stone

eg we could have bid 3 stadia in melbourne, 3 in sydney and 3 in Qld which already exist and still be closer than qatar.

Now we hear FIFA might switch the time of year to january to make qatar work.

If that happened n a tender process, you' be entitled to sue for damages

 

[Zidane98]

You dont think we can make a value judgement on whether it is EVER worth wasting money at FIFAs door again ?

The winning bid just ignored criteria which were supposedly set in stone

eg we could have bid 3 stadia in melbourne, 3 in sydney and 3 in Qld which already exist and still be closer than qatar.

Now we hear FIFA might switch the time of year to january to make qatar work.

If that happened n a tender process, you' be entitled to sue for damages

I hadn't heard that. Really cannot see it happening, FIFA stooping to an all time low if they do.

 

[mojito]

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Maybe so, but even if this hadn't happened, Aussies would still cry "corruption" if we didn't win the WC.

You see Australia has form when it comes to whinging about unfairness, and how we are the "morally superior" country. Maybe I would be more sympathetic if Australians didn't cry wolf so often about sports events not going their way.

It's being reported that most ExCo members voted without reading the technical evaluations of each bidding nation. Does that not sound odd at all?

 

[Zidane98]

There were a group of 7 or 8 exco members that wanted the Qatar bid dismissed on technical grounds; I guess they were the ones that voted USA in the final analysis,.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Because it's always someone else's fault, oh it was mass corruption wahh wahh wahh, get over it

 

[damochandler]

Over the last day, all I have heard from Australians are that we didn't get the World Cup because the system is corrupt etc. The funny thing is, I knew that Australians would find some excuse for not winning the bid.

You see, Australians can never lose gracefully. Look at the Olympics. Every time someone from another country beats us in the pool, it is suggested it is because they are a "drug cheat". In fact, Aussies carry on like they are the only ones who never cheat with drugs at the Olympics, while everyone else does (you can't tell me, in the history of the Games, not one Australian has ever used performance-enhancing drugs. The odds would say otherwise).

Now, we get the "corruption" excuse. First it is applied to cricket, where the sub-continent is accussed of "corruption" (though, I think some Australians think that their crime is being dark-coloured). Now, we don't win the WC bid because the selection process was corrupt.

I remember when Melbourne missed out on the '96 Olympics. At school, kids blamed Ted Turner using his money to snag the Games for Atlanta, like the process was corrupt. The funny thing was, four years later, when Sydney got the 2000 games, I hear no such corruption claims. How come? It's the same selection committee. Why were they corrupt in 1996, and not in 2000?

I wonder if corruption claims would be made if we won the 2022 World Cup? I think not. You see, only committees that don't do what Australia wants are corrupt, and only other athletes cheat with drugs. Never Australians.

Why don't we admit the fact that Australia didn't win the bid, because we are not ready, not a soccer nation, too far away, not in a good time zone, and maybe, just maybe, we were beaten by a better bid on the day? Face it. We're not the best at everything, and this xenopobic carry-on, like it is our God-given right to host a Cup, or be good at every sport, is pretty pathetic. We need to grow up, and learn to lose gracefully, or we will look like we are acting disgracefully.

you must have been living under a rock for 2 years leading up to the sydney olympics. their was plenty of corruption claims and they were found out. to say that have called the cricket committees corrupt in the sub continent because they are a different race. is complete rubbish.

i think you will find most australians got over losing the world cup pretty quickly

 

[GOEAGLES 08]

Moving the WC to january will leave fifa at an all time low. and imo there already at an all time low with giving qatar the bid! How much will it **** up the european compititions! (the biggest comps in the world)

We're not bad losers, like people have already said, if we lost to the usa we would understand because there bid was strong. qatars was flawed and doesnt meet criteria, yet they still get it?!

 

[Admiral Byng]

I agree with comments by WC2022OZ.

It seems that we were either misled or mistaken all along that the bids would be decided on their technical merits. What really decided it was backroom deals and stacking the vote. We didn't play the game the right way. I must admit my complete surprise when Qatar actually won it, I thought their bid would be turned down on technical grounds. It seems that the technical reports were ignored.

I think it is this unexpected unveiling of the real rules that has stunned people. Whether you can call it corruption or not I don't know, maybe that is too strong a word. But it is the sort of politics we are not used to in the West, the very blatant art of saying one thing and doing completely the opposite. We are used to our politicians telling the odd fib, but in some places it goes much much further and is an ingrained part of life and culture.

 

[Dimenhydrinate]

I hadn't heard that. Really cannot see it happening, FIFA stooping to an all time low if they do.

Won't happen. England will remember this, and thus will not move the EPL for the WC. And since the EPL is like, half of all of soccer... FIFA will lose out.

 

[Frankster177]

Won't happen. England will remember this, and thus will not move the EPL for the WC. And since the EPL is like, half of all of soccer... FIFA will lose out.

Half of all soccer? a bit of an overstatement.

 

[Dimenhydrinate]

Half of all soccer? a bit of an overstatement.

No other league drives the world crazy like the EPL does. The EPL is to soccer leagues as the US is to the world economy; so far ahead of number two that it's not funny.

 

[NMFCMUFC]

lol @ Premier League being half of soccer, you're taking the ****ing piss.

 

[Frankster177]

No other league drives the world crazy like the EPL does. The EPL is to soccer leagues as the US is to the world economy; so far ahead of number two that it's not funny.

maybe in force fed countries like Aus, but no it may be slightly ahead of number 2.

 

[Hawthorn United]

La Liga would be considered number 1 to the hispanic countries.

I think the biggest sore losers are the Herald Sun.

 

[Pessimistic]

I hadn't heard that. Really cannot see it happening, FIFA stooping to an all time low if they do.

They have just icked off the FIFA limbo dance competiton my friend. I predict they will be limboing under a toilet door by 2020.

Thank god for Brazil, If a country deserves it, its Brazil

They should have a sign at the brazil tournament "You are attending the last decent world cup for 12 years"

 

[mustapha]

They have just icked off the FIFA limbo dance competiton my friend. I predict they will be limboing under a toilet door by 2020.

Thank god for Brazil, If a country deserves it, its Brazil

They should have a sign at the brazil tournament "You are attending the last decent world cup for 12 years"

Russia will be good. Any of the 2018 bids would have been good. There was.no Qatar in that contest

 

[d_henderson1810]

Gotta laugh at comparing the loss of Melbourne 1996 to being done over by Qatar for World Cup 2022.


Most of us on here have always said that we would be not happy but understand if USA were chosen over Australia as hosts, but when a country that does not meet FIFA's requirements, has a climate of 40 degrees plus average in June/July, has a population smaller then Brisbane and needs to use foreigners to promote its bid then we have every right to be upset as proud Australians.

Australia put in a technically superb bid which was acknowledged in FIFA's technical reports (which also damned Qatar). As a nation we are/were more then ready to host a football World Cup, far more so then Qatar could ever hope to be.

I have no issue losing to a bid that is superior but I do have a problem when Qatari politics and corruption con us out of our dream of an Aussie World Cup. Even more disturbing was Bin Hammam who engineered votes against us and the USA to put Qatar in a strong position come the final rounds.

I sincerely hope that a good portion of the world's football nations boycott Qatar 2022 and have their own little unofficial tournament. I cannot, and no Australian should stomach, a country that is the highest per capita user of oil, water, gas and just about every other natural resource who creates obscene amounts of wealth by manipulating world oil markets and shafting consumers such as ourselves over oil.

Their society is a joke, they treat hordes of subcontinent workers like garbage whilst squandering obscene amounts of money on themselves. Normally it is nearly impossible to become a citizen of the stinking shithole that Qatar is but mention the fact that you are a Brazillian footballer who is very good but ultimately has no chance of representing Brazil all of a sudden you are given Qatari citizenship and are playing for the national team 5 years later.

I really hope that we get to meet Qatar in the Asian cup now because let me guarantee you that will be one big grudge match, our boys will teach them a footballing lesson if we do meet them in the 1/4's and beat that desert rat stinking piece of shit nation 10-0 and show them for what they are. Maybe then FIFA will yank their hosting rights and realise what they have done.


Rant Over.

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Firstly, if the U.S. had won, there would still be criticism, like the U.S. used their wealth to "buy" the bid. Look at the accusations made when Atlanta beat Melbourne in 1996. I have heard a lot of anti-American tirades on these posts over the years too, so would we really be happy if they beat us for the WC hosting?

The rest of your post sounds like you have more of a racial problem with Qatar hosting it then anyone else. Good to know how you really feel about the Arabian world.

 

[Guido]

I have heard a lot of anti-American tirades on these posts over the years too, so would we really be happy if they beat us for the WC hosting?

They are secure, they have the infrustructure, the size, the accomodation requirements, and they have the commercial interests of the game covered, 10 fold. They did receive a 100% score in terms of revenue for the game for a reason.

Obviously many of us would have been dissapointed and quite cynical, but the reasons for the US winning could quite comfortably be explained and justified.

Qatar? It is beyond a joke. They got kicked out of Olympic bidding before even getting a chance to put their case forward - and rightly so. And that's for a single city Olympic games, which their set-up is much more suited to.

Qatar's bid should never have been allowed to get to this stage. It's more than resonable to assume that the bidding votes were swayed by bribery and vote swapping - any logical person would find it very difficult to put up any other reasonable counter-argument.

It's made a mockery of the process and the game.

 

[Donstuie]

FIFA have shown themselves to be as crooked as an Englishman's teeth, but this is something that we all knew already. Our problem was we thought our "spotless" bid would convince them to throw out their corrupt ways. And this does add to not only our naivety, but our arrogance. We're a podunk little upstart who thinks the sun shines out their arse, talking to a bunch of crooks and wannabe politicians who probably couldn't even point to us on a map, let alone give a shit about us.

I agree in part with the OP that we do whinge, and that we are in our own way incredibly arrogant. We think we're the only ones who play by the rules, that our country is some Utopian paradise where everyone is beautiful and nothing is awry, and VERY eager at every opportunity for every other country of relevance to validate this view (our closeted skeletons show when anyone criticises us and the claws come out). Our bid reflected this. FIFA asked us why we should get the World Cup, and based on what we produced the answer was "Because we're awesome".

Showing a tourist ad and a supermodel as the final piece of our puzzle summed it all up. The World Cup should be here because our country is just awesome, we're so laid back and won't bash you (unlike all the other countries competing for this) and we have better looking people than you do.

FIFA: What would a World Cup in Australia contribute to football worldwide?
Us: It would show everyone we're awesome.

FIFA: Given 95% of our income comes from World Cups, and the report that states you would be the least financially viable option for us, why should we give you a World Cup?
Us: Because we're awesome. Didn't you see our Opera House?

FIFA: Given the reputation of this organisation is defined by people believing in our contribution to uniting the world, how would a World Cup in Australia contribute to this?
Us: We're so awesome that we are an example of what the rest of the world should be. In the video, didn't you see the girl in the Burqa playing in front of Uluru?

Etc.

We felt a misguided sense of entitlement purely because of how awesome we think we are. Even Lowy, as smart a guy as he is, fell into this trap. People bring up the Sydney Olympics, but remember back then the only real rival was Beijing, who at the time were being politically hammered because of their human rights record, and still nearly got it. Melbourne had to contend with not only the home of Coca-Cola but the romance of a Centennial Athens bid (which they should've got IMO). Sydney getting the games in 2000 was at least partly political, helping the IOC to avoid a political minefield. Our WC bid had no such advantage this time, and in retrospect was as doomed as Melbourne's 96 bid, again competing against a superpower (USA) and a political darling (Qatar). Had the US beaten us, you'd see far less indignation.

This however, is just the public justification. The fact is something fishy HAS gone on, and you'd have to be blind to not see it. The (Qatari) VP of FIFA threatening to challenge Blatter if Qatar didn't win. The same FIFA VP talking to our suspended Oceania rep and then supporting his decision to appeal. The blatant lying of delegates to the faces of our organisers (Although my respect Beckenbauer continues to grow). Everyone knowing the result 2 hours beforehand. This isn't even mentioning Qatar's "Maximum Risk" assessment, complete unsuitability for an event this size, and FIFA circumventing rules about stadiums per city (the bane of every nation with a decent infrastructure, ours especially) just for them.

**** yeah this was crooked as all ****, and as pissed off as we are all justified to be, we need to accept that our seemingly ideal Aussie-ism doesn't cut it with these blokes. We brag about how we don't reduce ourselves to back-room deals (no Carlton jokes please, I've heard enough), fair go and all that crap. But unless we're willing to get our hands dirty on the world stage, nothing will come our way.

And as a closing point, if anyone has any doubts about FIFA corruption, why did England not make it past the first round either?