FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said he expects rotation of the
World Cup between continents to be ended by a FIFA executive
committee next week, which would clear the way for England to bid
for the 2018 tournament.
Blatter met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Downing
Street on Wednesday with the 2018 World Cup top of the agenda
during half an hour of talks.
Speaking outside the prime minister's Downing Street residence,
Blatter said: "Gordon Brown has asked that we shall take a decision
that the FA will be able to bid for the 2018 World Cup.
"It's an item we will be discussing on Monday and Tuesday at the
FIFA executive committee in Zurich on how the World Cup is to be
presented to the world," he said.
"Definitely, if it happens then I can say England, the Football
Association of England, will present a really strong bid.
"The most important thing is that the British government will
support our 'Football for Hope' program in Africa."
FIFA's executive committee will make the final decision on its
rotation policy in Zurich on Tuesday but is expected to
rubber-stamp Blatter's proposal.
Blatter said the only continent that would not be able to hold
the finals would be the one which has hosted the previous
tournament, so South America, who should host the 2014 finals in
Brazil, will not be eligible.
Brown told Blatter the time was right for England to host the
World Cup again. It has done so once in 1966.
"While a bid is a matter for the English FA, we have said we are
not only willing but very keen to support an England bid for the
2018 World Cup," Brown said.
"By 2018 it will be more than 50 years since we last hosted the
World Cup and it would be a huge boost to football in our country
and would also make for a great sporting decade.
"We will have the Olympics in 2012, potentially the Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow in 2014 and perhaps even the Rugby World Cup in
2015 and then to be able to host the 2018 World Cup in England
would be a marvelous completion of the best sporting decade in our
history."
Other countries which have hinted they may bid for the 2018
finals include Australia, China and Russia.
(China Daily via Agencies October 26, 2007)