SLAM! Sports - Soccer - SARS puts boots to bid

SARS puts boots to bid

City's hopes for Women's World Cup now pushed to 2011 due to disease

By <a href="mailto:terry.jones@edm.sunpub.com">TERRY JONES</a> -- Edmonton Sun

Why is it that with China and SARS, the next greatest impact is felt in Canada? While, obviously, it doesn't compare to losing lives, China yesterday lost the 2003 Women's World Cup of soccer because of the epidemic. As a result, Canada has lost the 2007 bid, which was to be centred in Edmonton and looked like a lock. The 2003 Women's World Cup, scheduled for Sept. 23 to Oct. 11 and centred in Shanghai, will be relocated to likely either Australia or the United States as a result of a FIFA vote yesterday. FIFA voted not only to relocate the event but to award China the 2007 Women's World Cup to make up for it - thus taking Canada 2007 off the table. "It's disappointing,'' said CEO Kevan Pipe, the man who had done most of the work on the bid since the stunning success of the FIFA U-19 2002 Women's World Championship here last summer. "I think we would have won the bid in 2007. I'm certain of it," he stressed. DISAPPOINTING "It's a decision we understand. But that doesn't make it any less disappointing. We have no choice now but to refocus on 2011. But I really felt we had it for 2007.'' FIFA boss Sepp Blatter did everything but award it to Edmonton on the spot when he experienced the success first-hand as the city drew 162,207 for six dates, including selling out Commonwealth Stadium two days prior to the golden-goal final between Canada and the U.S.A. and 47,784 who turned the turnstiles. "Canada 2007? They will do it,'' said Blatter, blessing the bid. "The guarantee of enthusiasm of the public is there. With what has happened here, Canada has convinced me. "What they've realized here is extraordinary in the 27 years I've witnessed FIFA events. The whole event has been ballistic.'' While France submitted a bid against Canada for 2007, many figured it was a positioning bid for 2011. Now it'll be a straight bid for 2011. And if this year's event goes to the U.S.A., you have to figure the offer from Australia to stage it this year has to count for something in 2011, too. "We were building a lot of momentum,'' said Pipe. "Now ... life changes. "We'll see what transpires. The next few days will be pretty interesting at FIFA House in Zurich.'' Australia has the World Cup of rugby starting one day before the final of the Women's World Cup of soccer is currently scheduled. That might be a problem. But Pipe is cheering for the Aussies. "With the event in the U.S.A. in 1999 and again as a replacement in 2003, and now China in 2007, I don't know how eager FIFA would be to have the Women's World Cup in North America three times of four.'' Regardless, Pipe said the CSA will immediately go to work on attempting to bring a replacement event to Canada - the men's 2007 Gold Cup CONCACAF championship. "Edmonton would be the focal point of the bid,'' he said. Jim Fleming of Edmonton who, as president of the CSA, hired coach Even Pellerud and pro-moted the women's program to move to another level, and the man who brought the FIFA 2002 Women's World Championship to Edmonton, said there could be a silver lining in all of this. "I think FIFA wants to bring the event to Canada and I think FIFA will look very favourably on Canada's bid in 2011 as a result of the very responsible decision it had to make because of the SARS epidemic,'' he said. "There's always a bright side to everything. It will give us more time to develop facilities, strengthen the bid and improve the total picture,'' he said. TUNE-UP HERE STILL A GO With the new venue Women's World Cup dates expected to be close to those originally scheduled, the CSA will not change the date of the Aug. 31 deja vu/bon voyage game for Canada vs. Mexico at Commonwealth Stadium. But the game, which was to be used to promote the Canadian 2007 bid with an eye to filling the stadium to prove to FIFA voters the U-19 Women's World Championship was more than a one-off success here last year, will lose that aspect of it. "Our ticket sales are now up to 34,000,'' said organizing committee chairman John Gill. "People are still talking about what happened last summer and want to send these girls off to the World Cup with a sensational scene here. The Women's World Cup is still going to be played somewhere and Canada is still going to go off to play in it. "From the other side of it, we'll simply shift our energies because the CSA still wants to bid for something for 2007. I think we'll be fine.'' As for the girls themselves ... Lemme see. Christine Sinclair will be 25 and Kara Lang will be 20 in 2007. In 2011 Sinclair will be 29 and Lang will be 24. Maybe 2011 will be prime-time perfect for Canada and these girls Edmonton fell in love with in the summer of 2002.