World Cup woe as England loses out

THE North West has missed out on an estimated £750m economic boost after England lost a vote to host the 2018 World Cup.

Despite frenzied lobbying from the bid team fronted by Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham, the global event will instead be hosted by Russia. The 2022 tournament will be held in the Gulf state of Qatar.

Had England succeeded the event was estimated to be worth £3.2bn to the economy.

Despite being an early favourite to win and also widely recognised to have tabled the best technical proposal, the England bid, led by Andy Anson, Manchester United’s former commercial director, was shunned.

Many will fear criticism of football’s governing body FIFA and allegations of corruption among members of the voting committee from the British media, harmed England’s chances ahead of the vote.

Leading sports lawyer Mark Hovell of Manchester firm George Davies said: “I suspect that the BBC will be blamed but I’m not sure that we would have been successful notwithstanding this week’s edition of Panorama.

“FIFA’s executive summary, printed earlier this month, highlighted some reservations about the English bid, in the main relating to training facilities and hotel contracts, but it appeared at that stage that the Spain/Portugal bid was a more palatable prospect.

“It is a shame as I am sure we would have proved excellent hosts, especially as we are likely to gain significant experience from hosting the Olympics in 2012. It would have also been a real boost for the economy.”

Dr Brian Sloan, head of business and economic policy at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, added: “We are disappointed that the UK’s bid has been unsuccessful.

“England 2018 had presented a strong bid, backed by the world class stadia of Old Trafford and Eastlands here in Manchester. Obviously the economic benefits to the city would have been significant, particularly for Manchester’s thriving tourism and hospitality sector.”

Mike Greenacre, managing director of  Manchester-based  Co-operative Travel, added:  “This is a big disappointment for the inbound tourism industry, which would have enjoyed a huge increase in visitor numbers and a massive cash injection.

“However, the 2012 Olympics will provide a great showcase for London and the UK, and previous sporting events have taught us that the halo effect that these events enjoy will continue to bring overseas visitors to the UK for many years.”