Platini Needs Convincing On England 2018 Bid

UEFA president Michel Platini has stated that England still needs to ‘convince’ him that they deserve to host the World Cup in 2018.

Speaking in a radio interview, Platini said: ‘As European president, we need to do our best for the best country to receive the Cup in 2018. I hope for you it will be England but at the moment I have nothing to say.’

In dampening the prospects of the English 2018 bid, Platini referenced his concerns about the influence of money and a loss of identity in English football, previously referring to foreign ownership of Premier League clubs.

He said: ‘You will have to convince me. If there are two or three European countries going to bid, they all have to convince me.

‘I am the president of UEFA, I can’t say I will vote for England, I will vote for Russia, or I will vote for the Netherlands. I will vote for one European country, of course, and I will bring all my strength to bring all the European countries to vote for one, and to maybe help. I will do my job.

‘But why England, why not Russia or the Netherlands? We will look.’

England’s bid has already received the backing of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and a combined Dutch-Belgian bid is also expected, with Russia widely tipped to enter the race but yet to formally declare their interest.

Competition from outside Europe is expected to come from China, Australia, Mexico and the USA.