Fifa Begins Inspection Of England 2018 Bid

FIFA inspectors have arrived in England to begin an assessment of the country’s facilities and stadiums ahead of its 2018 World Cup bid.??

FIFA will begin a four-day trip around the country and will look at stadiums in Manchester, London, Sunderland and Newcastle.

??The delegation will meet Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in Downing Street before touring Wembley Stadium with England manager Fabio Capello. ??

England 2018 bid chief executive Andy Anson is confident ahead of the visit: ‘We believe we are presenting the best of English facilities and an honest reflection of what we are offering across the length and breadth of the country.’

‘We believe our bid book reflects a strong proposal to Fifa from a country that can deliver on facilities, commercial opportunities and general infrastructure, for the overall benefit of the tournament, its players and officials and the fans,’ he added.??

Sports minister Hugh Robertson was also in a confident mood ahead of FIFA’s visit to England: ‘I think we have got a really good offer to take out to FIFA and we are all determined to do everything possible to bring this home.’

??Robertson added: ‘The great thing about our bid is all the infrastructure is there, it’s all ready. You could technically hold the World Cup here tomorrow.’??

12 countries are bdding the host either the 2018 or 2022 Finals and the winners will be revealed on 2nd December.??

Russia, considered a favorite to host one of the tournaments, was visited recently by the international governing body’s inspection team, led by the president of the Chilean football federation, Harold Mayne-Nicholls. ??

The inspectors have also completed trips to 2022 hopefuls Japan, South Korea and Australia.??After the trip to England the delegation will look at the facilities of the joint Spain-Portugal bid and then the US and Qatar in September.