Australia's PM, Kevin Rudd, has confirmed he will meet Sepp Blatter next week to step up the country's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.Rudd will meet with Blatter and other leading FIFA delegates at the governing body's annual congress in Sydney and intends stressing Australia's desire to host the world's biggest sporting event.
Rudd believes it is a rare chance for FIFA heavyweights to get a feel for the country three years before a decision is made on where the 2018 tournament will be played.
"I'm looking forward to it," Rudd said. "They (FIFA) get to physically suck it and see.
"(They will get to) see what a stupendous country this is, what a great city Sydney is, how good the facilities are and how serious the government is about this.
"When we say we're going to put on a major world sporting event we get on with the business of putting it on.
"We don't leave anything to risk and that will be our attitude with this and that's what I will convey to the FIFA team."
Asked if he was aware he would be dealing with a highly political organisation, Rudd responded: "FIFA makes the ALP (Australian Labour Party) look simple.
"It is complex and national passions run high and that's where I think diplomacy is going to be very important.
"Pulling off the Olympics for Australia twice in half a century says a lot of about Australia.
"If we can do that we can give this a good shake and we intend to."
Belgium and the Netherlands (joint bid), England, China, the USA and Japan are among the countries to express an interest in hosting the 2018 World Cup.
Rudd warned Australia's sporting public it would not be an easy fight.
"This will be a marathon of all marathons. It is going to be tough as hell," he said.
"But you've got to be in it to win it. If we want the best for this game for the future, then bringing that World Cup to Australia in 2018 is the way to go.
"It's going to be a very, very challenging period of diplomacy, starting when all those FIFA guys come to Australia fairly soon.
"We in Australia don't put our hand up for a bid unless we're confident we can deliver the infrastructure to support the bid.
"That will be the case here as well."
High-profile Socceroo Harry Kewell, who is likely to lead Australia in Friday night's friendly against Ghana in Sydney, welcomed the prime minister's support.
"He's backed football in general. I think he can see the future because it is a world game," said Kewell.
"His support can only benefit football. To get something like a World Cup over here would be unbelievable."
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