Two of Europe’s footballing powers, Portugal and Spain, have paired up to submit a formal application for the 2018 World Cup. The current World Cup holders have hosted football’s number one tournament on one occasion thus far, when Italy triumphed on Spanish soil in 1982. More recently, Portugal hosted Euro 2004, where the hosts lost in the final to Greece. The Iberian partners are up against England, Russia and another joint bid submitted by Holland and Belgium.
The Iberian proposal was submitted with 18 cities put forward as potential hosts. Lisbon and Porto in Portugal with the remainder coming from across the border including Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Zaragoza. The Camp Nou, Santiago Bernabeu and Estadio da Luz are of course prominent in the bid document, and in addition the revamped Estadio Olimpico de Madrid, soon to be the new home of Atletico Madrid, and Valencia’s Nou Mestalla are also included as part of the stadium portfolio. If successful FIFA will require 12 stadiums and it is assumed nine will be selected in Spain and three in Portugal.
The Spanish–Portuguese application has flown under the radar somewhat, with the media largely focusing their attention on the English and Russian bids. But despite this, the Iberian bid has been caught up in controversy. It was alleged that the Spain-Portugal bidding team had colluded with Qatar’s 2022 World Cup representatives to secure blocks of votes, something which is against FIFA regulations. Following the allegations, FIFA’s Ethics Committee investigated, but ruled that nothing untoward had taken place.
FIFA’s recent interim report concluded that the Iberian bid was "low risk", but highlighted concern with the joint bid following issues surrounding Poland and Ukraine’s Euro 2012 preparations. The report also stated that a strategy for safety and security had not been specified.
Following this interim report, the head of the Iberian team Miguel Angel Lopez, has expressed confidence in the Spain-Portugal bid, claiming that the duo have already secured eight out of the 22 votes up for grabs, including all of those attributed to South America, dubbing the area the countries’ backyard. He also stated that they are certain of picking up several key votes from Asia.
Lopez dismissed England’s chances, claiming the last minute lobbying by David Beckham, David Cameron and Prince William will have little impact on FIFA’s final decision. However, Lopez is hopeful that Real Madrid will allow Cristiano Ronaldo, World Cup winning captain Iker Casillas and Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho to travel to Zurich for the crucial final hours of lobbying.
Despite Lopez’s confidence of success, UEFA’s problems with Poland and Ukraine could prove to be the Iberian bid’s downfall if FIFA become nervy about awarding the tournament to joint hosts. Although it must be said that Spain and Portugal already have the infrastructure in place to host the tournament, something in which Poland and Ukraine were distinctly lacking. The economic problems currently faced by both nations will also be a concern for FIFA, with both governments carrying significant levels of debt, amid speculation that Portugal could be the next Eurozone country to face a financial bailout.
