England 2018 World Cup bid is "perfect" declare FIFA

By Andrew Warshaw in Manchester

August 26 – England’s hopes of staging the 2018 World Cup were given a huge boost today when the head of FIFA’s six-man technical inspection team gave a glowing endorsement of the country’s facilities.

After a four-day visit, Chilean Football Federation President Harold Mayne-Nicholls praised England’s readiness to host the tournament, the level of Government support, the world-class stadia and the passion for the game.

In a brief ceremony at Manchester Central Convention Centre, Mayne-Nicholls broke with tradition of giving little away in his summing-up by telling England 2018 leaders that a number of aspects of their bid were “perfect” before departing with the rest of the FIFA team, with Spain and Portugal next on their agenda.

“All the needs and objectives of our visit were met and we are positive that the World Cup in England in 2018 or 2022 would be a great experience with a long-lasting legacy for the country and its people as well as for football worldwide,” he said.

“The concept you are coming up with that every single participating team will be hosted by a domestic professional team makes perfect sense to us. It will guarantee that all the teams will be able to practise in perfect conditions.

“Concerning public transportation and event facilities, there seems to be no problem in hosting an event of such scope. This also counts for safety and security matters.

“They have organised the visit in a perfect way, with great professionalism, but also with a sense of friendship and hospitality.”

No media questions were allowed to be put to the FIFA team and although it is hard to read too much into tours of this nature or ascertain the clout the various technical reports will ultimately have among the 24 voting FIFA Executive Committee members, Mayne-Nicholls’ statement was the most bullish to date among the six 2018 and 2022 candidates so far visited.

He made a point of playing down the absence of Prime Minister David Cameron who opted to stay on holiday in Cornwall rather than meet the delegates in person.

“FIFA is a family too and we fully understand why he could not be with us – the Prime Minister took the right decision,” said Mayne-Nicholls.

“Family is the most important thing in life, of course more important than football and that is a lesson for everyone.”

He also dampened criticism that the FIFA team did not attend any actual matches as part of their itinerary.

“The standard of the pitches we have been to are truly world class,” Mayne-Nicholls said.

“From our perspective it was definitely not necessary to experience a Premier League game to experience the passion and dedication of the football family.”

With FIFA’s Executive Committee set to choose in Zurich on December 2 who gets both 2018 and 2022, the only area England appear to be behind schedule is that of accommodation.

Mayne-Nicholls hinted the required number of hotel rooms still left something to be desired.

“One thing FIFA are particularly focused on is accommodation as we need a very high number of quality rooms,” he said.

“This is why we ask all bidders for a certain number of contracted hotel rooms.

“We trust that you will be able to fulfil the necessary requirements.”

When the FIFA team first arrived, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s assertion that England had an “unbeatable” bid was seen in some quarters as verging on the arrogant.

Again, Mayne-Nicholls’ closing statement appeared to back up Clegg’s optimism.

“Deputy PM Nick Clegg emphasised a few times that the Government, despite any future change, would be truly committed to organise the FIFA World Cup and would make sure that it would be met,” said the Chilean.

“As he put it in his own words, ‘Football is part of the glue that keeps our country together.’

“This kind of full commitment and passion we have seen in all the cities we have visited.

“They have all made very clear to us what the World Cup would mean to our cities and they all make clear with their clubs and the bidding committee.”

Anson (pictured) made it clear English bid officials would not rest on their laurels and would “further improve what we have”.

“The one thing I really hope we managed to achieve this week is to convince you that we would be an exceptional partner for FIFA,” he said.

He and the rest of the bid team now have a nervous three months to negotiate before discovering whether they have succeeded in bringing the World Cup to England for the first time since 1966.

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