Obama wants World Cup back in USA
Tuesday, 14 April 2009 18:08President Barack Obama has backed the United States' bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
He has written a letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the New York Times reported today, in which he recalls his early ties to football during his time spent as a child in Indonesia.
The President, well known for his love of basketball, also attended a West Ham game at Upton Park in 2003 during a private visit to his half-sister Auma in London.
'As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighbourhood together,' the president wrote in his letter to Blatter.
'As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters' soccer games in Chicago.'
Obama has also backed the Olympic 2016 bid of his home town Chicago and his latest pitch is in an effort to bring the World Cup back to the USA for the first time since it staged the 1994 tournament.
'Soccer is truly the world's sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe,' Obama wrote.
'That is why this bid is about much more than a game.
'It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.'
FIFA will make their decision for the 2018 and 2022 finals in December 2010, with England among the rival bidders.
'The support of the President, who is extraordinarily popular around the world, is a huge plus,' United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati told the New York Times.
