English FA bid to host 2018 World Cup

THE Football Association cast aside their caution yesterday and announced England will join the race to host the 2018 World Cup.

A board meeting at Soho Square ended with the FA’s directors immediately declaring their intention to bring the World Cup back to England, 52 years after it was last staged in the country.

The caution was in large part due to the painful memories of seven years ago when England’s bid for the 2006 finals ended in humiliating defeat.

However the encouragement of senior footballing figures — including FIFA president Sepp Blatter, UEFA president Michel Platini and Germany’s FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer — persuaded the FA the time was right to announce a bid even though it is four years before a decision will be made.

FA chairman Geoff Thompson said: “It would be tremendous for English football and the whole country if we are successful.

“The tremendous support from (British) Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his government has also been a key consideration.”

FA chief executive Brian Barwick said England were in an excellent position to win a bid and the organisation has already drawn up an outline blueprint of their plans for the campaign.

Among the key issues identified include maximising support for England internationally plus the nuts of bolts of putting a bid team together and financing a campaign that is likely to cost around £15 million (€21 million).

Barwick said: “We believe we have a very strong case for making a successful bid and hosting a wonderful tournament. The work now begins to bring the World Cup back to England.”

In the campaign for 2006, England were hamstrung from the start by the fact they had broken a gentleman’s agreement with eventual winners Germany not to bid.

The FA also believe they have a good commercial base to make a bid — they announced they were in their “strongest-ever financial position” after agreeing a range of deals with overseas broadcasters that will more than triple their income from international rights.

The new four-year deals for the overseas rights to FA Cup and England home games, which starts next year, are worth a total of £145m (€214m) compared to £39m (€56m) for the current four-year period.

Yesterday’s decision was set in motion on Monday when FIFA decided to abandon rotation of the World Cup between confederations and make the only restrictions for 2018 tournament that countries from Africa and South America cannot bid as their continents are hosting the finals in 2010 (South Africa) and 2014 (Brazil).

England are likely to face strong competition from Russia and China, while Australia, Mexico, the USA and possibly Holland and Belgium (jointly) are also set to enter the race.

One report in Ireland yesterday suggested the Irish Government could back a joint bid with Scotland — though this is seen as highly unlikely, particularly after the Irish debacle in jointly bidding with the Scots for the Euro 2008 campaign.

FIFA’s 24-man executive committee will decide on the hosts in 2011 and bids will have to be officially submitted at least two years beforehand.