Kraft Joins World Cup Effort

It’s not just football that Robert Kraft has a passion for. The New England Patriots owner, also owner of soccer’s New England Revolution, has joined in the group effort to bring the FIFA World Cup to the U.S. in the future, accepting an invitation to join the board of directors for the USA Bid Committee. Kraft will now be part of the push to bring the World Cup to the States in either 2018 or 2022, joining other dominant figures in the U.S. on the committee.

Now that Robert Kraft is onboard, he will team with other officials in the U.S. and go up against Australia, England, Japan, Russia, Indonesia and Mexico, all of whom have formally declared requests to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022. Other possible candidates as host of the 2018 or 2022 World Cup include Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain, while Qatar and South Korea have already vied for the 2022 event.

Kraft, a founding investor of the Major League Soccer, was part of the group that brought the World Cup to New England in 1994, and he has been highly praised for his efforts. Sunil Gulati, chairman of the USA Bid Committee and president of US Soccer, recently made a statement regarding Kraft’s involvement with the World Cup efforts, saying, “Robert Kraft has been a true champion for soccer in the United States and the USA Bid Committee is extremely pleased to welcome him to our board of directors. He paved the way for World Cup soccer to come to New England in 1994 and his leadership of the Revolution and within MLS has been instrumental in elevating the profile of the sport in this country.”

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