Game Of Two Halves: ‘Played’ Divides Twitter Over Failed World Cup Bid

KICK OFF
Lowy FC v FIFA United
Ref: L. Sales

In the beautiful game, tactics apply just as much off the field.

That’s what Frank Lowy discovered after Australia’s $45M World Cup 2022 bid accrued exactly one vote. In case you missed it, Qatar won the thing. A country that gets so hot, the stadiums will have to be air conditioned. A country so vile to migrant workers, it beggars belief. A country that doesn’t really have that much grass anyway – a necessity for, you know, playing football. 

Played, the ABC documentary following the process of the spectacularly failed bid, dug into the muck of FIFA tonight – but users on social media aren’t so sure Sepp Blatter and his cronies were the only ones playing the game.

The doco alleges that the tax-payer funded bid was squandered in absolutely insane fashion by the crooked workings of the football world, and that billionaire Lowy – who masterminded the thing – was given the runaround the whole time. 

Boy howdy, did the football-loving internet have something to say about that.

17′ FOUL – F. LOWY

“We bribed these guys with all the tax payers money, and they went and voted for Qatar. Poor Frank Lowy” – fair summary of #played ?

— Keegan Check (@Tegal1234) November 17, 2015

Would Frank Lowy use his own money blindly for a venture, don’t think so Not #played more like outplayed they knew the system not their cash

— Nathan Hunt (@Nato_x31) November 17, 2015

Sorry #FFA but isn’t giving the top job to the son of the boss the sort of thing we are criticising #FIFA for? #played abc

— Peter Lewis (@PeterLewisEMC) November 17, 2015

HALF-TIME
While stacks of users slammed Lowy for his supposed nepotism, naivete and garden-variety ineptitude in the bidding process, many were quick to praise the guy for giving the impossible dream of holding a World Cup in Australia a red-hot crack. 

#played Frank did so much for football in Australia. All I can do is thank him

— anne kindler (@kindlerjess) November 17, 2015

To be fair to Lowy & Australia, they weren’t the only ones to get #played. Far from it.

— Northern Element© (@NE_Brisbane) November 17, 2015

@leighsales @ABCTV Thanks for a great doco. My heart went out to Mr Lowy. #played

— The Happy Hermit (@sahermithome) November 17, 2015

Well #Played Mr. #FrankLowy you will be remembered by the generations to come.

— Om Prakash Sharma (@ompraka18883041) November 17, 2015

FULL TIME – PENALTIES
So, who won the thing? Lowy, with his apparently good-natured but ill-informed bid, or FIFA, with their supposedly clean hands?

The answer, as it is so often in football, is neither.

Australia still lost out on a load of cash, and the chance to host the greatest sporting event in the world. FIFA, in all likelihood, is going to have a shocker in 2022. All we have to show for it a cracking documentary. 

And this bloody video.

Story via ABC.
Image: Paulo Bruno via Getty.