• World Cup 2018

FIFA rates England bid more profitable than its rivals

ESPN staff
November 30, 2010
David Beckham is part of a three-man team charged with pushing England's World Cup bid over the line © Getty Images
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England's ailing hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup have received a boost after FIFA consultants said the country would be able to deliver a more profitable bid than its rivals.

ESPNsoccernet understands the FA is aiming to make between £55 million and £75 million if the bid is successful. England's hopes are believed to have been damaged by media allegations against FIFA in recent weeks. The Sunday Times ran an undercover investigation that led to six FIFA officials receiving bans from the body's ethics committee, and Monday's Panorama programme is said to have further damaged the bid.

The BBC programme accused African confederation president Issa Hayatou, Brazil's Ricardo Terra Teixeira and Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay of taking bribes, while it was claimed FIFA vice-president Jack Warner attempted to sell $84,240 of tout tickets. The England 2018 bid had been eager to secure the votes of Hayatou and Warner.

However, both FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini have denied the media investigations are likely to impact negatively on England's chances, and the report filed by consultants on the standard of the bid are likely to aid its chances.

It had earlier emerged that, despite raising concerns in their inspection report over hotels and training facilities, England scored higher overall than its 2018 rivals, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands, in other areas. It has now been revealed that England's bid scored 100% across the board in five revenue areas: ticketing, TV and media rights, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandise/licensing.

England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson told a news conference: "FIFA gave us a very strong evaluation and have just published an economic study which puts England way ahead of its competitors. If you combine the two, we clearly have the strongest bid. It's the perfect foundation."

FIFA's 22-man committee will vote on Thursday.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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