Government may support 2018 World Cup bid

Sports Minister Richard Caborn indicated the government would support a bid by England for the 2018 World Cup.

A Whitehall study is going on to see whether a bid for football's biggest competition should be put in.

Caborn said Chancellor Gordon Brown, who is expected to succeed Tony Blair as Prime Minister, was "very, very keen" on the idea when they met with leading football figures.

When asked whether the Government would support a bid, Caborn told reporters, "Absolutely. I have no doubt about that."

UEFA president Lennart Johansson, who was also present at the meeting, said the Chancellor thought a bid "would be a good idea for England and he was for it."

Holding the World Cup in England for the first time since 1966 would be a "tremendous boost" for the country, Brown had said earlier.

England hosted the European Championships in 1996 and last year the International Olympic Committee chose London to hold the 2012 Olympic Games.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.