Becks admits 'crushing' blow

Anson anger over broken Fifa promises

Last updated: 3rd December 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

A lot of people have done a lot of hard work and we deserve to host the World Cup. Let's hope we get it at some point.

David Beckham.
Quotes of the week

SKY SPORTS ON SKY

There's more live football on Sky Sports than ever before, including the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, England away Euro 2012 qualifiers and La Liga. With four live Sky Sports channels, as well as Sky Sports News, you'll never miss a moment on Sky. Click here for more.


SKY BET ODDS
The race to host the tournament is over, but who will win the 2018 World Cup? Bet now.Bet now.

Related links

Teams

Also see

David Beckham admitted England's miserable and humiliating defeat to Russia in their efforts to host the 2018 World Cup was 'crushing'.

The former England captain, part of the bid team which also included Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron, saw their hopes of securing the tournament destroyed on a miserable afternoon in Zurich.

Needing 12 votes from the 22 Fifa executive committee members, England were eliminated in the first round having garnered just two, as Russia went on to be awarded the hosting rights, seeing off the combined challenges of Spain/Portugal and Holland Belgium.

And Beckham, who had delivered a rousing speech as part of a slick final presentation, felt the bid team could have done little more in their efforts to bring the World Cup to England for the first time in 52 years.

He said: "When you put so much work into something and you don't get anything from it, then it is crushing.

"A lot of people have done a lot of hard work and we deserve to host the World Cup. Let's hope we get it at some point.

"The way we presented our country was exceptional. I think we would have put on one of the best World Cups in history."

Down the drain

Bid chief executive Andy Anson claimed Fifa members had lied about their votes and that £3million spent on England's glowing technical report was money wasted, as a total of £15million - FA money and cash from sponsors - was invested in the bid.

Anson said: "David Dein, myself, David Cameron, David Beckham and Prince William were looking people in the eye and asking them for their vote and being told "yeah".

"I am not sure what else you could do."

Asked if the England bid team had been lied to, he replied: "I am not going to name names because that is not fair on individuals but clearly some people have. We thought we had more than six votes, perhaps seven or eight.

"The technical report is £3million down the drain by the looks of it. We spent £3million on it and it was the best one. The two bids with the worst technical reports won."

Controversial

Russia, who now have a huge stadium building project on their hands, won an outright majority in the second round of voting.

In the 2022 contest, Qatar beat the United States in the final round of voting - another controversial decision for a desert country half the size of Wales, with no stadia and where June temperatures can top 50 degrees centigrade.

England 2018 leaders last month said that the bid had been damaged by a backlash against corruption investigations into Fifa members by BBC Panorama and the Sunday Times.

Beckham however said he hoped the suggestions about the anti-England backlash over the media were wrong.

The England midfielder said: "I've heard the rumours that we lost due to the British press. I hope that isn't the reason. I believe in a free press and they are incredibly supportive of the game I love."

Comments (10)

  • Page 1 of 1
  • 1

Peter Chopyk (AFC Wimbledon fan) says...

England simply did not stand a chance of winning the right to host the WC as it is not about who has the best bid. It is about who can pay more to the executive club of most corrupt sport organization in the World. Russian state/oligarchs paid whatever was required. So did the Qatar. It was a "must have" for Putin as he would not have had a better opportunity to embarrass Britain in front of the whole World taking into account cold relationship between the two countries. FIFA and their executive committee are not accountable to anyone and are the law to themselves. Neither BBC, Daily Mail nor Sunday Times are to blame for what has happened. They were simply doing their job. Lord Triesman was absolutely correct in his predictions and it cost him his job. The only way you can eradicate corruption is by exposing it and taking it head on. We should not stop now and should continue exposing FIFA dirty laundry as it is rotten to the core and can not exist in it's current format.

Posted 23:41 3rd December 2010

Charles Willimson (Stoke City fan) says...

this is world cup not western cup

Posted 22:28 3rd December 2010

Mags 09 (Newcastle United fan) says...

I totally agree with David F in that it is high time any decent federation split from FIFA and organised their own alternative world cup, which would be run on open and honest decision making by representatives from each country, i.e. one country one vote. We as fans should be demanding that our federations make a stance and tell FIFA either change or we form an alternative.

Posted 21:36 3rd December 2010

Iredia Osifo (Manchester United fan) says...

I was confident England would win the bid for 2018. I am sure they lost it due to the indiscretion of the Sunday Times and the BBC in exposing the corruption within FIFA. I think the timing was wrong. The two news media should have waited for the FIFA vote to come first before exposing the can of worms in the world football body. It is a hard lesson for the English media to learn.And England are the loosers for it.

Posted 19:56 3rd December 2010

Simon Cooper (Manchester City fan) says...

I'm writing a book called "The Lost Principles Of Football" and I have more material than I have paper at the mintute. If anyone's got anything they want highlighting please mail me. The World Cup decision stinks to high heaven. Football is like a rotten apple. all shiny on the outside, but deteriorating inside.....very soon the damage will be visible.

Posted 19:04 3rd December 2010

Zep Camilleri (Chelsea fan) says...

I quite agree with David F. I was always of the opinion that England should think about doing it its own way. And once we're on this topic, who is the rightful owner of the game of football - FIFA or the home nations?

Posted 17:51 3rd December 2010

M R (Liverpool fan) says...

FIFA are developing football in new markets which makes sense to me. Russia has never hosted the world cup so it's seems fair that they get the 2018 world cup same principle for Qatar in 2022 but it may be really hot over there! First airconditioned stadia? Lol. England need to concentrate on building a proper team and develop grassroots football before anything else. Look at Holland, Spain what they are achieving. Beckham and co did a great job though. We should stop moaning and be gracious in defeat.

Posted 08:46 3rd December 2010

Robert Brown says...

I dont think we ever had a chance of winning. Russia had bribed FIFA (who are rotten to the core), weeks ago. The very fact that Putin never even bothered to attend says it all. If the BBC had screened the programme now it would seem like sour grapes. They have been proved right and fair. Blatter must go, as should all the other get rich members.

Posted 08:35 3rd December 2010

Steve Chinn (Birmingham City fan) says...

Well well, what a surprise....after being told at the world cup that goal line technology was coming in to find that its now not even on the agenda...should tell the world the level of integrity this tin pot outfit called FIFA are!!! The reasons we lost are simple (Easy in hindsight and taking nothing away from the bid or the team); 1. insecure fifa officials outside of closed doors 2. A corrupt and dishonest organisation 2. A bid that was too heavy handed politically, culturally and socially for Sepp to keep control of in relation to points 1 & 2 4. A costly and misleading alternative 'secret' agenda / policy of exporting the game to 'new' regions No disrespect to these other home nations but maybe a bid from Wales or Scotland or the Faroe Isles would have secured more votes!!!

Posted 08:30 3rd December 2010

David F (Manchester United fan) says...

Would anyone else feel completely unphased if The FA split from FIFA? Lies, corruption, and their Swiss dictator with his medieval ideas make FIFA suck more than their failed World Cup awards do.

Posted 08:20 3rd December 2010
  • Page 1 of 1
  • 1

Add Comment*

Send us your views

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private