ENGLAND LOSES WORLD CUP BID TO RUSSIA

Russia & Qatar to host Future World Cups

Russia has been chosen to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar has been selected to stage the 2022 tournament. The Russian bid was pickedahead of England, Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium to host the 2018 event.

Qatar got the better of the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea to stage in 2022. Both decisions were made on Thursday following a secret ballot of football’s world governing body Fifa’s 22 executive members in Zurich. It is the first time that either Russia or Qatar has been chosen as host nation for the World Cup. Russia’s selection comes despite the absence of Prime Minister Valdimir Putin from the vote in Switzerland. The 58-year-old had been expected to be a prominent figurehead for the Russian bid in the final days of campaigning but instead remained in Moscow.

England miss out in 2018 Cup vote England missed out on the right to host the 2018 World Cup after football’s governing body Fifa picked Russia to stage the event for the first time. Russia saw off rival bids from England, Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium to win a secret ballot of Fifa’s 22 executive members in Zurich. Meanwhile, Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup.

ENGLAND LOSES WORLD CUP BID TO RUSSIA

England has lost its bid to host the 2018 World Cup to Russia following a vote by FIFA’s executive committee members, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced. Russia also beat off competition from Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium.

The loss will be a blow to Prime Minister David Cameron who led England’s final push for the tournament alongside Prince William just hours before the voting began in Zurich. In a frenzied round of last-ditch lobbying Cameron had played up England’s preparedness, with its already-built stadia and infrastructure, but it was not enough to win over the committee. England captain Rio Ferdinand, posting his reaction on his Twitter account, said: “Wow Russia will host the world cup 2018….soooo gutted. What more could we have done? What did we do wrong?” Boris Johnson, who chairs London United, the group responsible for co-ordinating the capital’s bid, said the result was “tremendously disappointing”.

“We put together a cracking bid, our technical specification was top notch and our stadiums would have been packed to the rafters. “Londoners love football. This is a blow but we have achieved a great deal with this bid and we have much to look ahead to.” He added: “We remain 100-percent-focused on developing London as the most exciting sporting destination in the world, and we have a lot to offer other countries, from putting together our bid and from planning the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “We will carry on providing a strong voice in football and world sport.” Congratulating Russia, the winners of the 2018 host city bid, the mayor told Londoners to be proud of England’s campaign. He said: “The international exposure we’ve had through the bid process is incredible and we have shown that England’s wonderfully diverse and open cities are ripe for hosting the very best sporting events from all corners of the world.

“This has been a bid to be proud of and, whilst of course we congratulate Russia, we can look ahead to hosting the Uefa Champions League Final next year and the Olympics in 2012, the first time since 1948.” Former England captain Alan Shearer congratulated Russia but said the decision was “hard to swallow”. “The way the presentation went this morning, the guys that got up and spoke were absolutely magnificent,” he told the BBC.