WORLD CUP BID A WINNER

But we’re sitting on sidelines

An eruption of cheers took hold of the FIFA Congress in Moscow as it was announced that Canada, the U.S. and Mexico had won the joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

FIFA will now choose up to 16 host cities among a list of 23 candidates, with Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal as Canadian potentials. Vancouver however, isn’t one of them.

Speaking to Postmedia News on the phone from Moscow, CONCACAF’s president, Canadian Victor Montagliani — who played a key role in securing the bid — called it a “momentous day for soccer and Canada.”

“A lot of work has come into this,” Montagliani said. “It’s a very emotional day for all of us.”

But, having grown up in B.C., Montagliani admitted he was disappointed that Vancouver will not be part of it.

“I’m an east Vancouver boy (and) the game has been in my veins my whole life,” he said. “Unfortunately the decision was made by the provincial government, they made the decision for whatever reason, and I have to respect that.”

In March, B.C. backed out of the North American bid to host the world’s largest sporting event, citing cost concerns, with Premier John Horgan saying he isn’t willing to hand over a “blank cheque” to FIFA at the expense of taxpayers.

Speaking to a media phone conference from Grand Forks, Horgan doubled down on the province’s stance to stay out of the bid.

“I do not regret for a minute the decision we made to withdraw,” he said. “We’re still not prepared to write a blank cheque for a soccer tournament that would not guarantee a specific number of games, that would not guarantee the duration of the closing of B.C. Place and would not give us a final dollar figure.”

Lisa Beare, minister of tourism, arts and culture, echoed the same message from Vancouver.

“Our government has a responsibility to ensure that the people of British Columbia are not on the hook for hidden costs,” she said. “We tried very hard to get assurances and raised our concerns, however those assurances were not addressed.”

Beare said FIFA’s “Host City Agreement” contained clauses that would leave residents at risk of additional costs. She cited safety and security as unknown costs of concern.

“We don’t know what the state of the world will be at that time, we don’t know what the cost of safety and security will be at that time,” she said.

B.C. Liberal MLA Michelle Stilwell took aim at the province’s decision, saying Horgan left the game too early.

“They pulled the plug before even considering any of those long-term benefits and really understanding what could be gained,” she said.

Stilwell said the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada brought an estimated $118 million in economic benefits to B.C. alone.

“It’s certainly a missed opportunity to promote not only our love for the sport, but to promote our city and province, and build on the tourism that we hold so valuable here,” she said.

Chicago and Minneapolis, Minn., are among other cities that withdrew from hosting opportunities, citing similar cost concerns and FIFA’s inflexibility.

But the City of Vancouver had previously expressed opposition to the provincial government’s decision. In a statement at the time, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the city was “extremely disappointed” that Vancouver wouldn’t be considered, adding that hosting would have offered significant economic benefits.

On Wednesday, however, the mayor’s office signalled a glimmer of wishful thinking. “If there is an opportunity for Vancouver to be a part of it, or support Canada Soccer’s efforts and legacy, we welcome that,” Robertson’s statement read.

They pulled the plug before even considering any of those long-term benefits.

As for Montagliani, the announcement brought forward a night to celebrate regardless.

“I’ve moved on from that, it was a long time ago, this is about our country, not any particular city,” he said.