By Tom Degun in London
November 30 – Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson told insideworldfootball England must stress the core elements of their 2018 World Cup bid to the all-important 22 FIFA voting members.
England is competing with Russia and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium for the right to host the 2018 tournament, but appear to be underdogs heading into the vote in just two days’ time.
The England bid seems to have suffered from bribery allegations made against FIFA members by the BBC in their Panorama programme last night, which came off the back of reports from The Sunday Times after which two FIFA Executive Committee members, Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii, were suspended from duty.
However, a defiant Robertson has urged FIFA to look simply at what England can offer the game and claimed it can still overcome the odds to host the event by focusing on its own strengths.
“As sports minister, I want us to be really ambitious about what we’re trying to do with British Sport and I want us to compete for and try to secure as many world class events as we possibly can,” Robertson said.
“That is good for the economy, good for the passionate football fans up and down the country and good for the footballing legacy we will provide to the world from hosting the event.
“Coming into the final days of campaigning, we have got to concentrate on the core strengths of England’s bid around the technical offer, around the economic offer and crucially around the legacy we can deliver.
“If we can convince the FIFA Executive Committee members that we can not only run their competition better than anyone else but deliver a genuine legacy afterwards, then we will win.”
With top class infrastructure and existing world class stadiums such as Wembley Stadium and Old Trafford already in place, the country has continually said it offers a low risk option to FIFA because of the commercial strength of its marketplace.
England has also stated that the majority of the legacy of its 2018 World Cup would be focused on international programmes across the country and the world with the aim of promoting a sustainable global legacy for future generations.
“That is the key thing for us – to focus on those core strengths of our bid and not get blown off course or distracted away from focusing on those,” added Robertson.
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