By Duncan Mackay
November 24 – Portsmouth City Council tonight voted against putting itself forward as a host city if England’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup is successful after they said they were not prepared to put up the £15 million guarantee required.
Councillors voted 24 to 13 against the proposal because of fears that it would eventually cost taxpayers up to £24 million to host matches if Portsmouth was chosen.
The City Council would have to fund improvements to Fratton Park, fan zones, transport, marketing and more, as well as provide the guarantee, Councillors were told.
Portsmouth’s City’s Liberal Democrat-controlled leadership claimed that they originally had received assurances from the Football Association that they could have pulled out of the bid process if it could not afford it but the meeting heard that England 2018 has now issued a non-negotiable contract which states all 16 bidding cities must commit to by Thursday (November 26), the deadline for submitting proposals.
Opposition was led by Steve Wemyss, the leader of the Conservatives, who claimed that the plan was a “vanity project”.
It is unlikely that Portsmouth would have been chosen anyway unless they had built a new stadium as Fratton Park fails to meet most of the criteria necessary to host World Cup matches, including a capacity of at least 40,000.
Lib Dem Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: “It is a difficult balancing act between ambition and cost.
“The FA was initially talking to us about £15 million, and saying some of that cost could be offset by other funding streams.
“And the advice we were given until now was that we could withdraw if we could not afford it.
“I understand the terms of the contract do not reflect what we were told.”
The FA predicts that hosting four matches would bring £130 million to the region, but city accountants estimated just £5 million could be recouped.
The FA claimed that it has been clear from the start that Councils would have to meet costs.
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