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Soccer officials will seek talks with the State Government as fears rise that Perth could miss out on plans to host the World Cup.
The absence of a suitable stadium has already ruined WA’s chances of hosting next month’s Asian Cup qualifier between the Socceroos and Kuwait and the State is faced with the prospect of being excluded from Football Federation Australia’s World Cup hosting plans because it does not have an adequate venue.
The Barnett Government announced last week that a proposed 60,000-seat multi-purpose stadium, which would have met World Cup criteria, was off the agenda for at least two years.
The FFA has lodged documents with the world soccer body to kick off its bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup and is working towards completing a proposal to win a majority of votes from the 24 member executive of the world body FIFA.
As it stands, Perth would not feature on the FFA’s bid document because it does not have a stadium that meets the strict World Cup criteria set by FIFA. FFA chief executive Ben Buckley confirmed that the soccer body would seek discussions with the WA Government regarding stadium redevelopment proposals.
“What we want to see is a stadia policy that allows us to bring World Cup matches to Perth and we believe that can be achieved with the plans that are afoot for the redevelopment of Subiaco,” Mr Buckley said.
“But I think we’d also like to see an upgrade to Members Equity Stadium because at the moment it needs some adaptation and renovation to bring it up to the standard that fans expect.
“We’ve had a team that’s already met members of the Department of Sport and Recreation recently to understand some of the plans. But importantly we need to go back to the WA Government with our view on the proposed upgrade to Subiaco and also what our view is on how Members Equity should be redeveloped.”
The FFA contemplated playing next month’s Asian Cup qualifier, which is unlikely to include Australia’s overseas stars, at the 17,000-capacity Members Equity Stadium before assessing the venue more closely and opting for Canberra Stadium instead.
“Perth was considered but in the current state, Members Equity Stadium is not an attractive place to play any international matches,” Mr Buckley said.
Subiaco Oval was not considered to host the Socceroos’ game against Kuwait because its configuration makes for poor viewing for soccer matches.
JONATHAN COOK
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=123597
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