alz wrote:

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-wcupbids

Seriously. How does a country with the world importance and economic impact of Houston beat the United States for a World Cup bid? EVER?

Well whatever.

You're ascribing logic to a process that has been tainted from the beginning, Alz. Ordinarily, I'd say Qatar has all the resources it needs to build gleeming new stadiums and accommodations for the tournament, but more than likely the reality is the FIFA folks got paid.
At least equally or even more perplexing is the decision to award the 2018 tournament to Russia. Like the U.S., the other three bidders could have hosted this tournament if it started tomorrow. I'm not sure Russia has the means or ability to get where they need to be in eight years, but I'm guessing there was tremendous pressure from people who were able to sway the committee.