Gordon Brown Vows to Bring World Cup to Britain

Strategic Insights -

Labour leader Gordon Brown has expressed his confidence in winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup, with a senior source stating that the Government is "going all-out" for the bid. If Labour wins the next election, Mr Brown expects to be Prime Minister when the contest is awarded by FIFA in 2012. The football associations of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will be asked to join England in a joint bid, with the hope of hosting matches in all four countries.

Key Takeaways:

  • Gordon Brown has made it his mission to bring the 2018 World Cup to Britain, with a senior source stating that the Government is "going all-out" for the bid.
  • The football associations of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will be asked to join England in a joint bid, with the hope of hosting matches in all four countries.
  • The FA hopes that a good London Olympics in 2012 will help land the World Cup, although FIFA may object to a four-pronged bid because it will lead to too many countries automatically qualifying.
  • A joint bid was successfully tried in Japan and South Korea in 2002, while a previous bid to host the 2006 World Cup (which went to Germany) failed largely because Wembley was still being built.
  • Officials will talk to Lord Coe and his team to discuss the tactics used to persuade Olympic delegates to switch their support from France to Britain, with the aim of applying similar strategies to win the World Cup bid.
  • If all the associations agree, qualifying matches could be played in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, and at Glasgow Rangers' Ibrox stadium or Celtic's Celtic Park, while other games are likely to be played at Manchester United's Old Trafford and Newcastle's St James' Park.

Statistics:

  • 2012: The year by which FIFA is expected to award the 2018 World Cup.
  • 2018: The year in which the World Cup is scheduled to take place.
  • 4: The number of countries (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) that may be involved in the joint bid.
  • 2: The number of votes that effectively decided the outcome of the Olympic bid.
  • 2002: The year in which Japan and South Korea successfully hosted the World Cup in a joint bid.
  • 2006: The year in which Germany hosted the World Cup, but also the year in which Britain's bid to host the tournament failed.
  • £: The possible cost of building a world-class ground in Northern Ireland to meet FIFA's standards.
  • Minutes before the final decision: The time at which Tony Blair allegedly swung the Olympic bid in Britain's favor.
  • 1966: The year in which England last won the World Cup, with Sir Geoff Hurst scoring the winning goal in the final.

Sources:

  • A senior source at the Treasury.
  • A source close to the Football Association.
  • The Treasury.
  • The Football Association.
  • "The Times" newspaper.
  • FIFA.