As the South African World Cup heads to its conclusion, the immediate focus on the soccer agenda will turn not to the next tournament in Brazil but rather the potential hosts of the two editions in 2018 and 2022. A decision will be made in December on the hosting of the two tournaments when FIFA's powerful cabinet, its 24-man executive committee, chooses from a list of nine candidates. It is the first time the hosting of two World Cups is being made at the same time and will come at the end of a fairly brief and low-profile campaign, enlivened only by English tabloid revelations and Australian accusations of alleged bribery. England, despite the resignation of FA chairman Lord Triesman after a tabloid sting in which he accused rival bids of corruption, is the pundits' favorite to win the 2018 bid, ahead of rival European countries and the United States. Russia is a strong outsider but joint bids from Belgium and Netherlands, plus Portugal and Spain, need to overcome FIFA's reluctance to have co-host again after what officials said was a difficult and costly event in South Korea and Japan in 2002. The two Asian countries are bidding again, though this time separately, for the 2022 Finals along with Australia and Qatar. Australia's football federation said Tuesday it had issued proceeding against newspapers who alleged malpractice in its bid. Among the allegations were that the bid had given inappropriate gifts to FIFA officials and their wives. Strict rules have kept the rival bids from overwhelming the fringes of the World Cup in South Africa but delegations have been taken on official tours of the facilities and local organization in the last week by the world governing body.
