Brown backs possible World Cup bid
A bid for England to host the 2018 football World Cup would signal a “commitment” to the next generation, Gordon Brown said today.
The chancellor has given his full support to a possible bid, and today joined culture secretary Tessa Jowell at the launch of a study into how feasible it would be for the country to host the greatest competition in sport for the first time since 1966.
Mr Brown said that “it is right that Britain considers making a bid” and suggested that the success of winning the 2012 Olympics in London “gives us a very good standing”.
He argued that the bid would be of benefit to every region across the UK – not just England – and particularly so for the nation’s youngsters.
“The futures of young people in Britain will be enhanced by what we do,” the chancellor said. “A bid would be a commitment to the young people of our country and a sign that we will continue to invest in their futures.”
Ms Jowell focused on the international implications of bidding for, and potentially winning, the right to host the World Cup.
“We will look at the likelihood of winning the bid and the benefits, not just to England but to the UK as a whole. But we also want to ensure that hosting the World Cup will be of benefit to developing countries,” she said.
“[Sports minister] Richard Caborn and I offered every support to South Africa’s bid to host the World Cup [in 2010] and this shows the sense of global partnerships in sport.”
She also confirmed that the government, in conjunction with the Football Association, members of the Football Foundation – the UK’s largest sports charity – and officials from South Africa are meeting to discuss making a bid.
Earlier, Mr Brown suggested that the combination of staging this event and the Olympics would re-emphasise the UK’s position as a genuine “world leader”.
“I think to combine the Olympics in 2012 with the World Cup only a few years later, would be an incredible double for our country,” he told Sky News.
“I think it would cement people’s idea that we are a world leader, and that sport and culture is something that Britain can talk about and lead in for the rest of the world.”
England bid for the 2006 World Cup but lost out to Germany, and this time the Football Association will want to make sure that it has a decent chance of winning before putting in a bid.
