Frank Lowy demands FIFA to compensate for 2022 World Cup time shift Lowy seeking FIFA compensation FFA chairman Frank Lowy is seeking $43 million compensation for Australia's failed 2022 World Cup bid after the game's governing body conceded it made a mistake to award it to Qatar. PT1M13S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2txxa 620 349 September 18, 2013 - 11:11AM FFA chief Frank Lowy has demanded that FIFA, world soccer's governing body, pay back the $43 million worth of Australian taxpayer dollars wasted in the futile World Cup bid as questions over the probity and the desirability of staging the competition in Qatar continue to mount. Australia,with significant government support and funding, staged a lengthy but ultimately pointless campaign to win the right to stage the 2022 renewal of the world's biggest sporting event. At a controversial meeting of FIFA's executive in Switzerland in December 2010 it was revealed that tiny middle eastern nation Qatar had won the right to host the 2022 World Cup in the northern hemisphere summer - despite the fact that temperatures in the Persian Gulf regularly topped the 40 degree mark at that time of the year. FFA Chariman Frank Lowy (R) with Socceroos coach Holger Osieck. Australia was one of the first contenders eliminated , having secured only one vote in a campaign built around the fact that FIFA wanted to stage the tournament in the middle of the year. Ever since there has been a series of allegations questioning, on one hand the ethics of the vote, and on the other the wisdom of playing a top level tournament in such brutal and wholly unsuitable climactic conditions. In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon Lowy said that any decision to move the World Cup to the Middle Eastern winter - as has been mooted - would mean that any countries which spent a fortune on bidding for a summer event should get their cash back. "At ransparent process should be established to examine the scheduling implications for all leagues and a method developed for agreeing appropriate compensation for those affected," Lowy said. He called for an "in-principle decision that just and fair compensation should be paid to those nations that invested many millions, and national prestige, in bidding for a summer event." And, he said: "Any final decision on a winter World Cup should only be made after the investigative chamber of FIFA's Ethics Committee, chaired by Mr Michael Garcia, concludes its inquiries into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar." The bottom line, says Lowy, is that Australia should get its taxpayers money back as it bid on what might now turn out to be false grounds - to stage a summer tournament. And he added, if the competition is moved to January the FFA should be compensated because of the disruption that will be caused to the A-League, which runs between October and April. Australia invested heavily in the World Cup process and the entire nation was behind the bid. Since December 2010 Australia has been careful not to let its misgivings about the process be interpreted as sour grapes. But now, with increasing speculation about a change that will impact on us as one of the bidding nations, and because our competition will be affected, we have made our position public. Our season takes place during the Australian summer to avoid a clash with other local football codes, a move that was necessary because the A-League simply could not get access to the high standard stadiums required as they were being used by other codes during the Australian winter. If the World Cup were to be staged in the middle of our A-League season it would impact on our competition, not just for 2022, but for the seasons leading up to and beyond that date. Clubs, investors, broadcasters, players and fans would all be affected. FIFA has an opportunity now to make the best of a bad situation by embarking on a transparent and orderly approach, unlike the process that led to the original flawed decision in December 2010.