I have no excitement for this FIFA World Cup.

@iamelijah They are already a mess, one result being a world littered with derelict stadia of no use locally after the Olympics.

Unlike most critics though, I will offer a hopefully-constructive suggestion for both:

Find a stable, democratic, "Western" country willing to act as host, then everyone else clubs together to pay for permanent stadia to be built and maintained there; and to share the cost of international events in which they participate; with these conditions:

- The contributions shall be fair financially so all participants have an equal say even though their individual payments are set according to ability to pay .

- The planning, capital and operating accounts shall be open to independent audits, transparent and published.

- The builders, operators and maintainers shall be the hosts' own, local companies and venue-employees; working to support the sports that hire the venues. They will obviously need meet the sports' specific requirements as far as practicable and affordable.

- No one sport shall have any specific rights over others. It may negotiate its own Press and TV coverage, organise its own participants and training, etc; but shall not dictate the venues' facilities and operation to the detriment of others.

- The facilities shall be not only for the Olympics, Paralympics and Football World Cup but also available outside of those events for that host's own and tourist teams and events, including amateurs and the general public.

- These facilities shall be owned in perpetuity by the host [i]country[/i], not by commercial concerns including the sports' so-called "governing bodies". They shall not be sold, especially abroad, as happened for example with the FA's Wembley Stadium and separately, Manchester United Football "Club". (Don't mention 'Glazer' in that fair city...)

- The major events themselves shall be at an agreed time of year, and the fixtures at times of day that suit as far as possible [i]all and only [/i]the sports and their players, and their fans; these dates and time shall [i]not[/i] set by TV companies, politicians, bankers and other peripherals. Even if they help the events.

- All use shall be inclusive, at both professional and amateur level. None of the arguments over "rights" and arm-bands because firstly the venues shall be in countries with modern employment and tolerance laws; and secondly the users will be treated for what they are: [i]people[/i] who simply happen to enjoy particular sports.

NB: I used the word "shall", not "will" or "should", deliberately. It has a specific meaning.

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[i]Which nations though:[/i]

I suggest Greece as the most appropriate, of course, for the Olympics at least. Patriotically, I would naturally suggest Great Britain for the Football - football and cricket are our national sports - but would be happy to see it in, say Germany or Brazil or other genuine football-playing nation.

It may need a second country to host the Winter Olympics, e.g. Canada, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland; perhaps a third for the football; but with the same conditions. That would spread the burden of being host, and the accessibility of venues, to some extent.

However, these countries are also suitable for the non-Winter events.

For example, contrary to popular myth Norway's Summers are not cold, and even have quite hot spells; she is also a football-playing country, and her huge variety of rivers, lakes and fjords must surely offer suitable venues for the Olympics' watery-borne sports.


....

Oh, I know. One can but dream.....