Sepp Blatter: ‘England is the easiest place to host 2018 World Cup’
As a Fifa team started their four-day inspection of England ahead of a bid to host the 2018 World Cup, the president of world football’s governing body has claimed that it would be “easy” to stage the tournament in the country.
With Fifa’s six-man inspection team visiting London today, and planning to make trips to both the north-east and north-west of the country in the coming days, Sepp Blatter’s comments are sure to hand a huge confidence boost to the England 2018 team, although the president has also stated his belief that Russia will provide very strong opposition.
Blatter, who is not in England, said: “The easiest way to organise the World Cup is to go to England. Everything is there – fans, stadiums, infrastructure – it's easy.”
Silencing concerns that England’s abject showing at this summer’s tournament in South Africa would harm their chances, Blatter said: “The performances of bidding countries' national teams does not matter, definitely not. It is the quality of their bid that matters.”
Clearly though, Russia’s bid will be strong, with the Swiss-born 74-year-old saying: “You cannot deny Russia if they bid for something. They are more than a country. They are a big continent, a big power.”
All of which makes this visit crucial to England’s chances, and after the inspection team – led by Chilean federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls, and including 2010 World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan – met with deputy prime minister Nick Clegg at Downing Street today, they were then led on a tour of Wembley Stadium by England manager Fabio Capello.
“I believe this is an exceptionally strong, unbeatable bid,” Clegg told the team.
“We in this government believe in it, we hope that you will believe in it.
“The excitement and passion behind this bid is huge. It will inspire people in towns and cities across the country. There are few nations that can claim the passion we in England have for football. Our job is to show you we already have the infrastructure and facilities to host a World Cup.”
England have a number of high-profile backers for their bid, ranging from David Beckham to Noel Gallagher to Paul the “psychic” octopus – a star of this summer’s World Cup after he correctly predicted the outcomes of eight matches at the tournament, including the final.
The final decision on who will host both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be revealed on December 2nd, with England’s rivals other than Russia including the USA, Qatar and a joint bid from Spain and Portugal.
Tags: