Exclusive: England 2018 bid would have been dead without Thompson

By Andrew Warshaw

November 21 – England’s campaign to stage the 2018 World Cup would have died on its feet had FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson (pictured) been left without a role to play, a senior bid source has exclusively told insideworldfootball.

Bid chairman Lord Triesman, whose leadership has come under intense scrutiny, had to be persuaded for months to work alongside his predecessor as FA chairman – or risk a blunder of monumental proportions.

Thompson was the main beneficiary of last week’s crisis meeting when he was given a place on a new streamlined board.

Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, although not on the board, will also be given a key role as one of football’s best connected figures.

Dein will fill an as yet unspecified international roving brief to try and garner votes among the 24 FIFA Executive Committee members though it understood Triesman may be reluctant to give him a titled position.

But it is Thompson’s overdue appointment that has saved England’s campaign from embarrassing collapse a year before the vote takes place.

“We were really stunned when Geoff wasn’t asked to join from the start,” one senior bid source told insideworldfootball.

“A lot of pressure was put on David Triesman that unless Geoff got involved, the bid was not winnable.

“You need someone on the inside and Geoff Thompson has a unique position as vice-president of FIFA.

“He has access to other exco members that neither Triesman nor anyone else has.

“Clearly the relationship when Triesman took over from Geoff as FA chairman wasn’t a particularly happy one.

“Geoff only agreed to help if he had a proper seat at the table.

“Hopefully now, any personal issues have been resolved.”

Andy Anson, the bid’s chief executive, welcomed Thompson’s recruitment to the bid campaign after weeks of political in-fighting and sniping that threatened to derail the whole process.

“We are absolutely delighted Geoff has joined the board,” said Anson.

“We now have to pull together and bring this World Cup to England.”

Meanwhile England’s bid team have justified the decision to spend a sizeable chunk of their tight marketing budget on sponsoring the Soccerex football business conference in Johannesburg later this month.

Most other bidding nations have also signed up for the prestigious annual conference, attended by FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured) and a host of other movers and shakers.

This year’s convention offers bidding nations for 2018 and 2002 a key promotional platform in the build-up to a high-profile media presentation in Cape Town.

The briefing takes place on the morning of the December 4 draw for next summer’s World Cup finals and England’s bid team will be concentrating their efforts on maximising David Beckham’s presence.

Bid officials insist the 11th-hour decision to jump on the Soccerex bandwagon by sponsoring the final session as well as a subsequent cocktail party was neither a waste of money nor a knee-jerk reaction.

It is understood the England bid team consistently refused to be railroaded by organisers into putting their name to what one insider described as “random claptrap” and instead held out for the most worthwhile and rewarding promotional opportunity.

“It will be an opportunity to meet with the most influential people and get our message across in an intimate setting rather than cheap publicity stunts,” said Anson.

It is also somewhat of a gamble since many attending Soccerex will have packed their bags and left by the end of the three days.

Meanwhile, a Russian bid spokesman responded that his country’s presence at Soccerex was anything but a publicity stunt.

The Russians will have a permanent presence throughout all three days of the conference rather than a one-off appearance, taking over a central cafe area which has been labelled “Red Square lounge”.

“For us it’s all about branding, conveying a bit about the modern Russia – cool and hip – and putting across our message which is that we will be an historic choice with a lasting legacy,” the spokesman said.

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