(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA) joined her Senate colleagues to send a letter to President of the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Sepp Blatter to
express support for the United States’ bid to host the FIFA world cup in either
2018 or 2022. The bid committee has submitted the city of Seattle and 17 others
to be the final candidates as host cities of the games.
“We can think of no better way to show America’s
enthusiasm for the sport than to again play gracious host to the world’s
athletes and spectators in the coming years. With memories of the
successful World Cup in 1994, we hope to be given the opportunity to provide
the coming generation with an event that is greater in scale and grandeur than
any before,” the Senators wrote.
Senator Murray was joined on the letter by Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben
Cardin (D-MD.), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Michael Bennet
(D-CO), Mark Udall (D-CO), George LeMieux (R-FL), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Kit Bond
(R-MO), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Bob Corker (R-TN), Scott Brown (R-MA), John
Kerry (D-MA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Bob Casey, Jr.,
(D-PA), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jack
Reed (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Richard Lugar (R-IN).
Learn more about the United States’ bid to host the World
Cup by visiting http://www.gousabid.com/.
The full text of the letter appears below:
Mr. Sepp Blatter
President
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA-Strasse 20,
P.O. Box 8044
Zurich, Switzerland
President Blatter,
As we stand captivated by the exciting events taking
place across South Africa, we write in strong support of the United States’
bids to host the FIFA World Cup in either 2018 or 2022. We can think of
no better way to show America’s enthusiasm for the sport than to again play
gracious host to the world’s athletes and spectators in the coming years.
With memories of the successful World Cup in 1994, we hope to be given the
opportunity to provide the coming generation with an event that is greater in
scale and grandeur than any before.
As you know, the 1994 World Cup was held in cities
spanning the American landscape from the Atlantic to the Pacific and many
places in between. More than 3.5 million fans from every corner of the
nation and globe came to watch the greatest sporting event in the world played
in amongst the greatest venues in the world. The average number of
attendees at these matches, about 68,000, was larger than any average World Cup
audience there ever was or has been since. America’s first World Cup was
a great success; we hope that a chance to repeat will be in the near future.
The current bids expand on this great potential by
spreading the event out amongst 18 cities and 21 stadiums, all but two of which
will be or currently are amongst the 100 largest stadiums in the world.
Further, the size, diversity and number of cities spanning our country will
allow the largest portion of Americans and visitors to have access to the
sporting events. With a population of 300 million people, we assure you
that there will be no lack of fans clamoring to attend the matches.
Attending the matches will be no difficult feat either, as the United States
features significant transportation and tourism infrastructure that will enable
visitors to attend games with great ease.
Additionally, the United States maintains
infrastructure that can afford the stresses of holding an
internationally-attended sporting event. America has hosted several
Olympic Games in its history as well as the CONCACAF Gold Cup every year since
1985. Even the sport itself is growing as American Major League Soccer is
undergoing an expansion. As visitors from across the globe come to the
United States, we stand well prepared to answer all their needs. As
always, we relish the opportunity to showcase our enthusiasm for this sport and
hope that Americans will be given a chance to display their passion.
Finally, the United States is a nation consisting
largely of individuals from all over the globe. Our diverse population
ensures that there are individuals from every country in the world eager to see
their home country’s team play at their local stadium. The World Cup’s
message is one of inclusion and international harmony; the United States wants
to stand with the people of the world in the celebration of this great sport.
We hope that you will consider the United States’ bid
with utmost seriousness and we hope to see you in the United States in either
2018 or 2022.
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