Beckham set to hand over England 2018 World Cup bid
14th May 2010
Global football icon David Beckham is in Zurich to deliver the 1,752-page bid book which he hopes will persuade Fifa to award England the 2018 World Cup. Football's world governing body will announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments on 2 December.
"We have fantastic stadiums, training grounds, transport and hotels," said Beckham, who will give the document to Fifa chief Sepp Blatter at 0845 BST.
Competition comes from the likes of Russia and a joint Dutch-Belgian bid.
England bid organisers believe that one of their trump cards is the ability to drive up the commercial revenues of the event.
Fifa is expected to net £2. 1bn in TV and sponsorship from the 2010 World Cup, and England estimates it can increase that income by a third, taking it near the £3bn mark.
And new British Prime Minister David Cameron said he and the new coalition government were fully behind the bid.
"The World Cup is a cause that unites the nation like no other," said Cameron in a letter of support in the bid book.
"Football is at the heart of so many of our communities and there can be no doubt that England would offer a warm and passionate welcome to fans and players in 2018.
"We will do everything in our power to help win the honour of hosting this prestigious event. "
In 2005 Beckham played a part in helping Britain win the right to stage the 2012 Olympics and the Football Association is hoping he can have a similarly galvanising effect in persuading Fifa to allow England to stage the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
And the former England captain, who is leading the five-strong England delegation in Zurich, has published a two-page letter outlining the strengths of the 2018 bid.
"It shows how passionate we are as a nation for football, how our society is amongst the most diverse in the world with communities ready to welcome every team," said Beckham, England's most capped outfield player, in an open letter.
In a nod to the success of the 2005 Olympic bid, when Amber Charles, then a 14-year-old basketball player from the borough of Newham, helped present London's case for 2012, Beckham will be joined by three teenagers: Nothemba Bambiso from South Africa (a representative of FA charity Coaching for Hope), Eddie Afekafe from Manchester and Kadra Ege from London.
"Football has the power to change lives and these youngsters are able to learn valuable lesson through their love of the game," said Beckham.
The book will cover details of the bid such as stadia, transport, security, marketing and football and social development.
In addition to Beckham, Fifa and Uefa vice-president Geoff Thompson, FA and England 2018 chairman David Triesman and England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson will also be in Zurich.
A European bid is expected to get the 2018 tournament with England up against Russia and joint from Spain and Portugal and from the Netherlands and Belgium, with further competition from Australia, the United States, Qatar and South Korea.
Blatter has already spoken in glowing terms of England's bid which includes 12 towns and cities from Sunderland to Plymouth, calling it "the easiest bid in the world" - but he has also described the plans put forward by Russia as "remarkable. "
Dutch legend Johann Cruyff has endorsed the bid from Belgium and the Netherlands, who jointly hosted the European Championships in 2000, while the combined efforts of Spain and Portugal have been relatively low key to date.
Japan withdrew its candidature to concentrate on the 2022 tournament after Blatter reportedly hinted that the 2018 finals would be most likely heading to Europe.
Australia and the US have also put their names forward to host the 2022 tournament, where they face rival bids from Japan and South Korea - independently of one another, having jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup - and Qatar.
Each country's bid documents will set out detailed breakdowns of potential host cities and venues, infrastructure, and financial estimates for how much the tournament would cost and how much it would generate.
After the challenge 2010 hosts South Africa has faced getting facilities ready for the continent's first World Cup, and with 2014 hosts Brazil having already been criticised for falling behind schedule, England will hope they catch the eye of Fifa by representing a safe pair of hands.
However, in its early stages, England's efforts were dogged by in-fighting, with former board member Karren Brady admitting it was "fair comment" to say it looked like a shambles after Premier League chairman Dave Richardson resigned from the bid team.
But in November 2009 the campaign received a boost with Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, who had previously criticised the bid, saying it "is England's time", after what he called "an exceptionally good meeting" with then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Fifa officials will have a lot of reading to do with the American bid detailed in a 1,250-page five-volume set, Russia submitting a three-volume 1,100 page-document, and Australia's presentation document running to 760 pages.
The submitted bid books will be the starting point for Fifa's decision-making process, with a team of inspectors visiting each country later in the year, before reporting back to the 24-member Fifa executive committee, which will have the final say.
The US bid makes a point of stressing how many of the facilities are already in place and ready to use.
"The highlights of the bid would be the enormous amount of infrastructure that's already existing in the United States and the flexibility that we have to choose," said US bid committee executive director David Downs.
Russia's much-lauded proposals promise to open new markets for football in the former Soviet Union.
"The World Cup should go to new regions, and open new frontiers," stated Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who will be part of the team presenting their document.
And Australia's bid has the backing of all the country's main sporting bodies, after the government managed to secure a memorandum of understanding from Australian Rules Football (AFL), rugby league and rugby union authorities over the use of the nation's best stadiums should the country win the right to hold the event.
"We have the unified support of the nation behind our bid and we are ready to host the biggest sporting event in the world," commented Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy.
If Australia were to host a World Cup, it would have to be played in the coldest time of the southern hemisphere winter to avoid clashing with the European leagues.
That would put it up against the seasons of the other major sports in the country, who have long-term deals over access to the major venues, which was one of the stumbling blocks.
Source: BBC News
