#And happy to dismiss us on the grounds of ill informed notions of our country

[that-soccer-guru]

Okay, I usually don't like to say specific non nwsl related stuff on this blog but I really have to.

I'm a little annoyed at every person who dismissed the Colombian bid for the women's world cup without giving it some actual thought. Including those who probably took the 2.8 score that FIFA gave the bid without taking a second look at the insulting and discriminatory reasons for it, honestly I know I'm not the only Colombian who is deeply insulted by it.

I'm not just saying this as someone who really wants to see their country be the stage for the biggest tournament in professional women's football, but as someone who truly believes that the country IS ready for this.

I understand that the Australia/NZ bid is something a lot of people want. If not for Colombia putting their hat in the ring I'd be right there with you. But, that is not a reason for dismissing the Colombian proposal.

Here's what I know. Colombia is a massive tourism hub. With carnivals, sporting events and day to day tourism, the 10 proposed cities have experience in the logistics of large events, including top of the line hospitals, hotels and transportation and great sporting facilities. Colombia has hosted Copa America and the Panamerican games on a number of times, and though they're not on the level of a world cup, I put forward that there isn't a country mentally ready to host such an event like pros on their first time.

While it is true that the federation has been less than stellar in their support for the women's league, a lot can be said about their leaps and bounds improvements in the recent years. Individual teams, monetary contributors and sponsors have campaigned to bring better conditions to the 20-team strong women's league. The federation has endeavored to fix their structural mistakes to better support the NT, and though there is still a long way to go, dismissal on the grounds of less support than the Australian federation is, honestly, fucked up.

Though Colombia didn't make the last world cup, the National Team is the most recent gold medal champion of the Panamerican games. There are Colombian players in major leagues across the world. Former NT players are ambassadors for the sport in journalism. They have coordinated signing of Colombian national players to various leagues across the world, and some of the most renown players in the NT are keystones to their league teams.

Finally, Marta Lucía Ramírez Blanco, the FIRST woman elected Vice President of the Republic, worked closely with the federation and the relevant government officers to set up a logistically sound proposal that would show the world how ready the country is. Ramon Jesurun, current vice president of CONMEBOL and head of the FCF correctly pointed out that our major cities are internationally recognized as centers of technological advancement, societal stability, and integrity. We are ready. (also, I'm very miffed, as was the FCF president and many people responsible for this bid, that FIFA would bring up "social unrest" that has been asuaged in recent years, especially considering how much social unrest Europe was in when France had its turn. But sure, their scathing words and hypocritical thoughts aren't rooted in classisim and racism at all).

Colombia isn't ready just because we want the prestige, or because Brazil dropped out and CONMEBOL needed a bid, or the time zones work out, or because we want in on the world cup. Colombia is ready because we are. We are ready to host the biggest tournament in women's football. We are ready for our players to see their country shine in women's soccer. We are ready to bring the world cup to one of the toughest regional leagues in the world of football, for ourselves and for the other South American countries with wonderful and competitive teams that want to attend this cup and give it their all. We are ready for the world to see that our country has overcome so much and our people have come out the other side with a smile on their faces and fire in their hearts.

To quote directly from the bid I know a lot of you, and honestly the asshole FIFA officials, didn't read.

In Colombia challenges within our DNA, we are used to accepting them on and overcoming them. This is the challenge of our passion, football, and together we will certainly bring the first Women’s World Cup in history to the region. Welcome to Colombia land of football, challenges and joy.

Colombia está lista

La Colombie Est Prete

Colombia is ready