By Tom Degun in London
November 17 – Andy Anson, the chief executive of the England 2018 World Cup bid, has hit out at the BBC accusing them of being “unpatriotic” in their plans to screen a Panorama documentary regarding allegations of FIFA corruption.
The England 2018 bid is already said to have been significantly damaged by the British media after reporters from The Sunday Times allegedly exposed two FIFA officials it claims were willing to sell their votes.
The expose was widely criticised by members of FIFA who labeled it as “entrapment” but it has emerged that the BBC still plan to air their Panorama programme making allegations of corruption against people involved with world football’s governing body on November 29 just three days before the vote to decide the 2018 and 2022 World Cups takes place in Zurich.
Anson met with BBC director general Mark Thompson last week to express his fear that the broadcast could harm the country’s hopes of hosting the World Cup but his pleas have apparently fallen fell on deaf ears prompting him to publicly attack the organisation today.
“I’m incredibly disappointed with the timing of what the BBC is proposing with Panorama,” said a visible angry Anson.
“If they truly believe there’s a journalistic reason for this, they could have done it any time in the last two years.
“To do it like this is sensationalism.
“I went to see Mark Thompson and I didn’t ask him for anything but all I said was: ‘Here are the potential implications.’
“It’s not very patriotic of the BBC.”
Panorama has already written to those they have made allegations against but Anson believes the expose will simply cover old ground.
“We know what the letters [involved in the documentary)]are all ask about.
“The issues seems to be things dealt with by the Swiss courts and by FIFA in the past.
“‘They’re not happy with someone raking over old issues but then no one would be.
“Maybe we’re overreacting.
“I’m hoping it’s an uninteresting and uninspiring programme.”
“We have a free media in this country and the BBC can do what they want.
“I just have to make sure they understand my view of what they are doing.”
A BBC News spokesman defended the decision to run the programme stating that because the channel is funded British taxpayers’ money, the taxpayers have the right to know the truth.
The spokesperson said: “The findings of the Panorama investigation into FIFA will be in the public interest.”
Despite the potential problems posed by the programme, Anson was hugely upbeat about England’s chances of winning the vote in Zurich claiming the letter the England bid team wrote to FIFA’s executive committee last week distancing itself from media stories had been well received by members.
“The feedback we got from them was incredibly supportive,” he stated.
“It did not smack of desperation; it was the right thing to do.
“We are here representing football in England and the football fans in England who want the World Cup to come to England.
“We are not here representing the English media.
“The media is free to comment on what we are doing, but we wanted to get that message across.”
England are competing against Russia and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands for the right to stage the finals and finished joint top with Spain/Portugal in the technical evaluation.
England’s bid was only marked down on two minor issues, the lack of contracted hotel rooms and venue specific training grounds.
Both issues were largely technical in nature claimed Anson who added that England had over 120 possible training venues for the World Cup and neither problem was of major importance.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham will all join Anson in Zurich for the vote next month.
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