Faltering England slim down 2018 bid team

England have responded to criticism of their bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals by announcing a reduced management team.

Bid chiefs held a crisis meeting Thursday and announced a new executive board which included Geoff Thompson, a vice-president of world football governing body FIFA, who was omitted from the original line-up.

After starting the bidding process as favourites ahead of Russia, Australia and the joint-venture by Spain and Portugal, England’s 2018 campaign has come under fire in recent weeks.

The bid has been severely criticised by Jack Warner, one of FIFA’s executive committee members, and Football Association chairman Lord David Triesman, also England’s 2018 chairman, has come under pressure over his inability to devote more than two days a week to his role.

Triesman will now head up a streamlined board featuring Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards, Football League chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney, Lord Sebastian Coe, the London 2012 Olympic Games chief, former player Paul Elliott and chief executive Andy Anson.

Original board members such as Britain’s sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe will join an advisory group headed by Karren Brady, the former Birmingham City chief executive.

Triesman said: “We’ve got to a point where the England 2018 campaign requires focus, determination and where everybody involved has a specific purpose to help us win the bid.

“In our view, these changes reflect a positive development and send a loud message of an absolute determination to bring the World Cup tournament to England.”

According to a report in Wednesday’s edition of The Times newspaper, Warner’s influence is likely to result in “at least another two votes and probably more like another three or four votes” being lost.

England’s bid is also said to be suffering from a lack of financial investment, with the Government’s pledge of five million pounds (5.5 million euros) in direct funding having been cut to a conditional loan of 2.5 million pounds (2.7 million euros).

FIFA are expected to announce their decision on the 2018 hosts in December next year.

England have hosted the World Cup just once, in 1966, when they won the tournament for the only time in their history with a team captained by the late Bobby Moore defeating the then West Germany 4-2 after extra-time in a final at London’s Wembley Stadium.