Australia hoping to win FIFA World Cup bid with feminine charms

MELBOURNE - It looks like Australia is hoping to persuade FIFA bosses in the World Cup bid by sending a female-led delegation to Zurich where the decision on who will host the 2022 World Cup is being made.

The Australian delegation in Zurich will be led by supermodel Elle Macpherson and Governor-General Quentin Bryce, and singer Kylie Minogue is also said to be in talks to attend.

“We will be presenting a very strong case for Australia to FIFA on how we could hold a fantastic World Cup,” the Herald Sun quoted Bryce as saying.he female-led campaign comes after actress Nicole Kidman fronted a bid video shown around the world that was highly praised by senior FIFA officials.

There is intense secrecy surrounding the presentation that Australia will make, with bid consultants convinced it can have a defining effect in the last moments of the campaign.

Half of it will be a film directed by Philip Noyce and featuring various bid ambassadors, including Olympians Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe, F1 driver Mark Webber and soccer star John Aloisi - talking against a backdrop of iconic Australian scenery.

Westfield boss Frank Lowy and soccer CEO Ben Buckley will also make speeches in the 30-minute presentation to the 24-member FIFA executive committee next week. Also to be decided next week will be the 2018 host nation.

Australia’s rivals for 2022 are led by Qatar and the US, followed by Korea and Japan. (ANI)