Powers On Toucher & Rich: Still Possible FIFA Moves 2022 World Cup From Qatar To US
BOSTON (CBS) - John Powers of the Boston Globe has been helping 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich show all month with his stellar World Cup coverage and he called in again Monday morning for one last discussion.
After talking about Germany and their 1-0 defeat of Argentina in the World Cup final, Powers was asked if the perception of American soccer changed in Brazil.
"I think [the perception] did change. Historically people don't think the Americans play well at all. Even their coach (Jurgen Klinsmann) said MLS is just Americans playing against Americans, so you're not going to get any better and you need to play overseas. Well a lot of their top guys did," Powers said of the United States Men's National Team. "You saw Tim Howard have a fantastic tournament. He has been doing that forever over in the English league for years. The fact they got out of the group of death and the fact they played Belgium tough got them lots of respect, not just inside the country but outside the country."
Four years from now the World Cup will be played in Russia, and eight years from now the tiny Middle East country of Qatar will get to host it. There's been plenty of controversy surrounding Qatar winning the bid, including allegations of bribery and the like. Not only that, but the Arab nation has been accused of using slave labor to build up infrastructure and temperatures will be well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit at game time.
Enter the United States, a possible solution to the Qatar mess.
Rumors surfaced in Brazil that FIFA is considering pulling the World Cup from Qatar in 2022 and that the US is their alternative choice. John Powers touched on that with T&R.
"I think it is a possibility. The issue is FIFA has to do this sooner rather than later. If you're gonna pull the Cup then pull it now. Don't let these guys build all these stadiums and then say sorry we aren't coming. There's no way you go over there and play soccer almost any time of the year . . . unless someone is paying you to do it. And clearly that has been the case here. What America offers FIFA is one-stop shopping. You've got a ton of stadiums already built. You don't have to build anything. You've already hosted the Cup, Americans love the sport -- at least at the World Cup level -- it would seem to be an absolute no-brainer for them."
Listen below for the full discussion
John Powers of the Boston Globe
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