• World Cup 2018

Beckham 'very confident' despite Panorama storm

ESPN staff
November 30, 2010
David Beckham has bolstered England's bid © PA Photos
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A defiant David Beckham is "very confident" that England's 2018 World Cup bid will be successful after clearing the air with Sepp Blatter over allegations made on the BBC's Panorama programme.

Reports have suggested that Panorama, which alleged Fifa vice-president Issa Hayatou and two other FIFA officials voting on World Cup bids took bribes in the 1990s, has scuppered England's chances of victory.

But Beckham has remained bullish, despite the cloud of pessimism gathering above the England bid. "We're very confident because we know we've done everything possible," he told Sky Sports News. "We're a country that is so passionate about football, we believe that we are ready to host the World Cup and we have to make people believe that - and I think people do believe that.

"We've put ourselves in a really strong position - we're not saying we're definitely going to win it, because we've not been arrogant - but what we've done, what we've had behind the scenes shows the strength we have in the country.

"Me, David Dean, the Prime Minister and other members of the team sat down with Blatter this morning. [Panorama] was one of the things we spoke about, of course, and one of the things that we cleared away. We said that our media will be right behind us in 2018, and I think that Blatter is well aware of the support that he will have for the FIFA, for the World Cup."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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