FIFA inspectors impressed by England bid

England’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup was praised by FIFA’s inspectors at the conclusion of their four-day visit yesterday.

England are competing with Russia, the United States, and joint bids from Spain and Portugal, and Holland and Belgium to host the 2018 tournament.

The English bid team had taken the six-man delegation of inspectors on a tour of the country, with a trip to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and a visit to Manchester United’s Old Trafford as well as meetings with British politicians.

The FIFA team, led by Chilean federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls, were impressed with England’s readiness to host the tournament, the level of government support, the world-class stadia, the passion for the game in the country, the social projects of clubs and the involvement of youth.

Mayne-Nicholls told England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson in Manchester that a number of aspects of the bid were “perfect”.

But with a decision of who will host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments set to be voted on by FIFA’s executive committee in Zurich on December 2, Anson and his team must prove the required level of accommodation is present.

Mayne-Nicholls said: “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.

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

“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.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron missed the FIFA visit, earning criticism in some quarters, but Mayne-Nicholls dismissed that talk and congratulated Cameron and his wife Samantha on the birth of their daughter this week.

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

At the end of a visit which began with Cameron’s deputy Nick Clegg describing England’s bid as “unbeatable”, Anson promised the issues arising from this week will be addressed by FIFA’s deadline.

“Your questions and observations have been hugely helpful in identifying areas where we need to focus and rest assured, we will answer every question diligently, respectfully and in full with a guarantee of delivery to you before your end-of-September deadline,” Anson said.