England World Cup bid is unbeatable claims Deputy Prime Minister

By Andrew Warshaw in London

August 23 – British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg laid down the gauntlet to England’s 2018 World Cup rivals today by describing the English bid as “unbeatable” in his welcoming address to the FIFA inspection team.

As the six-man FIFA delegation were greeted at Downing Street - not by Prime Minister David Cameron, who remained on holiday in Cornwall but by his number two - Clegg spoke of how an English World Cup would benefit the game globally.

In what critics may view as an error of judgement given how England’s 2006 bid collapsed under accusations of arrogance, Clegg told the FIFA delegation: “I believe this is an exceptionally strong, unbeatable bid.”

In more moderate terms, he went on: “Our job during your visit is to show you that we already have the infrastructure and facilities to host a fantastic World Cup.

“Very few nations can claims the same passion as we have in England for the game of football.

“We believe in it, we hope you will believe in it.”

Bid chief executive Andy Anson, in a statement that had echoes of John F Kennedy’s inaugural presidential speech, added: “We will show that a FIFA World Cup in England is not just about what it can do for England, but about what a FIFA World Cup in England can do for the rest of the world.”

Anson pledged that England hoped to prove it could stage the “most spectacular World Cup ever.”

Delegation leader Harold Mayne-Nicholls, head of the Chilean Football Association, responded that “we will do our best to produce a very objective report.”

Following their respective addresses, the FIFA delegation moved on to Wembley by public transport, choosing to take London’s notoriously suspect underground system to inspect the venue and meet England head coach Fabio Capello.

After watching a group of schoolgirls being put through their paces in a gentle coaching session, the six inspectors took part in a light-hearted penalty shoot-out before attending a formal dinner attended by a raft of footballing icons.

Following their activity in London the inspectors are due to travel to Middlesbrough by helicopter where they will be given England 2018’s Base Camp and Training Sites Concept Presentation.

On the journey the team will fly via five candidate stadiums, including the 2012 Olympic Stadium, then take in Sunderland, Newcastle and Manchester where they will finish their tour before flying to Spain and Portugal next week for the final European leg of 2018 candidates.

While FIFA inspection visits no longer rank bidding nations in order of preference, leaving the delegates with a good impression is a vital part of the process, with little over three months to go before the all-important vote.

An evaluation report on potential hosts will be handed to each of FIFA’s 24 voting members and while England’s case has undoubtedly been boosted by FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s exclusive assertion to insideworldfootball that an English World Cup would provide the easiest solution, the final period of lobbying promises to be fiercely contested in the race for individual votes.

In 2006, South Africa lost out in the final few hours when Asia’s bloc of votes suddenly switched to Germany who ended up winning by a solitary vote.

It is no co-incidence that England played a friendly against Egypt earlier this year and has scheduled another in Thailand for next summer, a decision partially prompted by efforts to secure Asian support on December 2 in Zurich.

No matter how well England perform during FIFA visit, the real challenge is getting the lobbying right in the crucial build-up to decision day.

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