Regrets, I've had a few - here's hoping December 2 isn't one of them.
In about a fortnight the host for the 2022 World Cup will be named. Ratcheting up the pressure a few media hysterics have put the whole box and dice on the outcome of the Australian bid. A cold-shoulder from Zurich and supposedly we'll be putting our club scarves in mothballs permanently.
Some have bought into the complete Apocalypse Now scenario. Apparently the fate of Australian football rests in the greasy palms of FIFA's executive committee. That's the elite group that has all bidding nations for 2022 represented - except us. It leaves the opposition plenty of opportunity for finessing over fondue in downtown Switzerland.
Even so it was looking promising, right? Just when we thought it was a two-horse race, the Wall Street Journal confirmed it is - and Australia isn't in the running. We can come play with ourselves as far as the US is concerned because it's the money and intrigue of Qatar that is raising the US Soccer Federation's temperature higher than a hot August night in Doha.
Personally I think our bid could have emphasised the safe, relaxed and light-hearted exuberance of a Down Under Cup and still knocked the Qataris out of consideration with one simple phrase - Don't sweat it!
Back home, of course, it wasn't all plain sailing. There was a bruising stoush with the AFL over venues, some hoo-haa about pearl necklaces to dignitaries and the slump in A-League crowds. It was enough for a few people to start talking do or die for the domestic product. Typical. A few mushroom clouds on the horizon and everyone's hopes vaporize.
Surely if League can survive countless off-field indiscretions, AFL can gouge fans' wallets with impunity, and Rugby can dish up a regular snooze-fest then football can handle the odd disappointment - even if it is the equivalent of a global pantsing.
The irony is no one expects failure on December 2 to spell disaster for the Socceroos. As much as we dream of the national team lifting the Cup on home turf the immediate repercussions of the 2022 decision will be felt by the local league. Or so we're told.
There's some merit to the argument that the fate of Fury and Sydney Rovers is tied to the bid. A good result delivers Blacktown its stadium and Townsville hosting rights. It could explain FFA's reluctance to hand down a decision on the future of either franchise before the outcome is known.
But it's ludicrous to think that a losing bid will snuff out the A-League, or that a win will save it. The future of the game can't be secured by one event or one person.
Five years have passed since Aloisi slotted home the ball that sent Australia to its first World Cup in 32 years. Forget Germany, this was going to take us all the way to footballing nirvana. Somehow the revolution never quite materialized.
In the quest for a white knight to resuscitate clubs in the A-League, we've stirred up a whole nest of mining magnates. True to type some of them have shown a propensity to dig big holes for themselves.
It's not all been downhill, far from it. If not revolution there's certainly been evolution. The domestic football is better than it's ever been. Tactically and technically it's jumped several notches. Our youth teams are starting to deliver on their promise. Without continuing work at the grassroots, however, even the legacy of a World Cup fades in time.
That's not to diminish the value of the bid and it's potential impact, just recognition that it can't carry the can for the entire game.
Fingers crossed it all pans out on the night, but if you're worried the US is a shoe-in and that rejection of our bid will prove the doomsayers correct - chin up. Forget talk about technical reports, TV rights, or the fact that the US set attendance records for the World Cup back in 1994. I've let my wiki do the walking and come up with some compelling evidence that the history of December 2 is on our side. So here it is:
1. With Frank Lowy at the helm it's auspicious that this is the first day of the Jewish holiday Chanukah. The festival commemorates a miracle that occurred more than 21 centuries ago (about as long as Australian football has been in the wilderness) when a small band of faithful overthrew one of the most powerful armies in the world. Coincidence - I think not.
2. On the same day in 1804 a vertically challenged upstart by the name of Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France proving once and for all that big guys don't always finish on top.
3. Fast forward to December 2, 2003 when Nicole Kidman bagged an Academy Award, beating out several American thespians for the gong. Our Nicky, as we know, was the spokesperson for the launch of the Australian bid.
4. Finally it was on this day in 1823 that the US President James Monroe outlined his foreign affairs vision (the Monroe Policy) that basically told those pesky Europeans to stay the #%&%! out of the Americas. Here's hoping they follow that advice and vote accordingly.
I'm optimistic but let's not kid ourselves: compared to the hard yards ahead for football in Australia, staging a World Cup in 12 years should be a walk in the park.
