Things to look forward to
I’m not that keen on looking ahead at pie-in-the-sky events that may or may not happen years in advance.
However, given the times we live in, it’s nice to be more positive, so the news this week that the British government has provided funding of £2.8m towards a potential bid for the 2030 World Cup alongside the Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations has to be welcome.
It’s very early in the process of course, and we’ve been burnt before in these bids, like the one for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but it’s certainly something nice on the horizon.
World football's governing body FIFA will open the formal bidding process in 2022 for the 2030 tournament which would mark the centenary of the very first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay.
Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers said this week Ireland “won't be found wanting” as regards our part in the potential bid. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is to undertake feasibility work, in cooperation with its partners, to assess the viability of a bid.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the bid as very exciting news. He added that the Government will “do everything we can to add value to that proposition”.
Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Argentina are to submit a joint bid, with Morocco also planning a bid, while China may too.
Should the bid by Ireland and neighbours be successful, it’s already been suggested that Páirc Uí Chaoimh might host a game.
Less positive, but entirely expected was the news on Tuesday that the women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand is set to be postponed until next year.
Due to be played this year, as a result of the uncertainties surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, World Rugby took the decision this week.
“The recommendation is based on the evolution of the uncertain and challenging global Covid-19 landscape,” the organisers said.“It has become clear in recent discussions with key partners including New Zealand Rugby, the New Zealand government and participating unions, that, given the scale of the event and the Covid-19 related uncertainties, it is just not possible to deliver the environment for all teams to be the best that they can be on the sport's greatest stage.”
Ireland, however, have not secured a place in the World Cup as yet. They face Spain on 13 March in Madrid in what is akin to a semi-final playoff for World Cup qualification.
The winners in Madrid will play the winners of a match between Scotland and Italy, which is provisionally scheduled for early May. The winners of that game qualify automatically while the losers can still qualify via a world repechage.
This week daily case numbers continue to reduce and on Tuesday, 359 were reported - the lowest level since mid-December. Let’s keep it up!
HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid said yesterday that there are "reasons to be very hopeful”. He said hospital and ICU numbers are down again and infections among the most vulnerable and healthcare workers are “hugely decreasing”.