24 May 2007(Thu)

May 23, 2007: Weren't those words of Sepp Blatter music to the ears of Japanese football fans?

The fact that Japan was high on the list -- if not at the top, as that was clearly the United States -- of substitute hosts should South Africa be deemed unsuitable to stage the next World Cup in 2010.

Of course it is a remote chance that FIFA will remove the hosting rights from South Africa, as President Blatter has said there would be only a change if there was a natural catastrophe, rather than any political/financial pressure.

And the chances of Japan being selected as emergency host would be even smaller -- but at least Blatter mentioned Japan as a world player in the modern game when discussing the topic in a recent interview with the BBC.

Blatter, of course, is absolutely right, as Japan could stage the next World Cup at very short notice -- on its own, not with Korea.

The 10 stadiums used in 2002 for half a World Cup are still there -- well, I hear that Miyagi is still there, but no one seems to know for sure.

Add to these the likes of Ajinomoto Stadium, home of FC Tokyo, plus Toyota Stadium, the sometime home of Nagoya Grampus Eight, and even the Big Arch at Hiroshima, and Japan has more than enough top-quality stadiums to host a 32-team, eight-group World Cup tomorrow, so to speak.

The hotels are here, the transportation system is excellent, and the fans would embrace the full World Cup, as they did half the World Cup in 2002. So would the sponsors.

Crowd trouble would be non-existent, as the local fans would welcome all-comers, and the Japanese police would show restraint and not behave like their Italian counterparts in Rome by attacking fans from overseas.

I think it would be wonderful for the World Cup to return to Japan, and a wonderful success for FIFA and the world.

Blatter has some big decisions to make in the near future, not only with South Africa but also with Brazil for 2014. By all reports, Brazil is light years away from being able to stage a World Cup in modern, safe stadiums, so the United States, Australia, Japan and England among others can all regard themselves as on stand-by.

The 2010 and 2014 World Cups are far from decided at the moment.

ends