World Cup England 2018!
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England's slow-burning campaign to host the 2018 World Cup gathered pace today after chancellor Gordon Brown and culture secretary Tessa Jowell visited the new Wembley stadium and announced the results of a government feasibility study into staging the tournament.
The study, which has been prepared over the last year, concludes that the stadium infrastructure already in place means that England is already in a strong position to host the tournament. The Football Association has yet to announce its candidacy - and even if it did, a bid can't be submitted until 2010 - but Brown today vowed to make it his "personal mission" to gather support from around the world for a potential bid.
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"By 2018, it will be more than 50 years since England first hosted the World Cup, and I believe it is time the tournament returned to the nation which gave football to the world," said Mr Brown. "With the Olympics in London in 2012, hosting the World Cup in 2018 would make the next decade the greatest in Britain's sporting history.
"I want every region of the country to share in the benefits of these sporting events, I want every young person to be inspired by them to increase their own participation in sport, and - if the FA decides to launch a bid - I would make it my personal mission over the next few years to persuade countries around the world to support that bid."
Shadow sports minister Hugh Robertson echoed the viewpoint that bringing the World Cup back to England would benefit the country, although he labelled Mr Brown's involvement today as no more than "a publicity stunt". "Given that no decision on the 2018 World Cup is due until 2011 and that this should have been done on a cross-party basis, this can only be seen as a very silly publicity stunt," he said. "Gordon Brown would be much better off sorting out the mess he has made of the Olympics budget, or actually delivering on the other pledges he has already made about sport but not kept."
FA chief executive Brian Barwick welcomed the findings of the research and the government's support for a potential bid. "This study underlines this government's commitment to bringing the world's biggest sports events to these shores," said Barwick. "Fifa has not yet announced which continent will be awarded the 2018 World Cup, but if it does come to Europe the FA will give very serious consideration to a bid. We have the stadiums, the infrastructure, a multi-cultural society and a passion for the game that few countries can match. In addition, every major European football nation has hosted the World Cup since 1966.
"It is also hugely encouraging that there is such a groundswell of public support for a World Cup in England. As we saw last year in Germany, when the host country gets behind the competition, it gives it an extra buzz, and the colour and atmosphere of an English World Cup would be something really special. We got a taste of that cosmopolitan flavour last week when 10 teams from five continents played in front of close to 150,000 fans, underlining this country's worldwide appeal as a venue for international football. A World Cup in England would give a boost not only to football at all levels, but also other sports and the nation as a whole." -
Thierry Henry and David Beckham are being lined up as ambassadors for England's 2018 World Cup bid.
Thierry Henry and David Beckham may be approached to act as ambassadors for England's 2018 World Cup bid if the FA decides to proceed with plans to bring the tournament to England for the first time since 1966. The bid, which gathered impetus yesterday with the publication of a feasibility study backed by Gordon Brown, would seek to enlist footballing "ambassadors" and Henry and Beckham are at the top of the list. Seb Coe, chairman of London 2012 and Fifa's ethics committee, could also expect to be approached.
Brown held a photocall at Wembley yesterday to announce publication of the study into bidding for 2018, a document which concludes that England had an excellent chance of success. Fifa does not require a firm commitment from the FA until 2010 but, with the next two World Cups being held in Africa and South America, 2018 is widely seen as "Europe's turn".
The study concludes that England is well placed because most of the infrastructure is in place and public support is strong. Six stadiums already meet the Fifa requirements and a further five have been identified as possible venues. The report also stresses that unlike the Olympics the bulk of the expense would be borne by football clubs. It is a mark of the concerns raised by the Olympic experience that the study repeatedly warns that the FA will have to provide "robust and realistic assessments of costs" to secure government support.
The chancellor's support was welcomed by the FA but prompted accusations of opportunism from opposition parties, and suspicions within football that the game is being bounced into bidding on a timetable driven by his electoral ambitions. The feasibility study was launched unilaterally by Brown in November 2005 and the FA has since been at pains to work with the Treasury while stressing that a decision on bidding is at least two years away. The FA has also been keen to foster cross-party support, which was notable by its absence yesterday. The shadow sports minister, Hugh Robertson, accused Brown of "a silly publicity stunt" and said the Olympics should be his priority. -
its still more than a decade away
