Lord Triesman: FA's unseen work will give England's 2018 World Cup bid the edge

By Nick Price

Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes that England's history of promoting the game throughout the world will boost the country's chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup.

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Whilst it is England's infrastructure and modern stadia that perhaps give it an edge over fellow applicants Russia, Australia, and a joint Spanish and Portuguese bid, Triesman hopes that the FA's less vaunted work will be looked on favourably when FIFA members vote on the destination next December.

Although the FA has come under criticism for its conduct thus far in promoting the bid, with CONCACAF chairman Jack Warner accusing the FA of "creeping along" and not using David Beckham as a more prominent ambassador, Triesman believes that England is still the favourite bid.

He told BBC Radio Five Live: "For all the criticism, when I've been going round the world I've seen pretty much every member of the executive committee of FIFA and I haven't run into the hostility or the negativity that some people have described, I really haven't.

"I would say to anyone who says, 'well I would say that, wouldn't I' - talk to those people. They're really very positive about this country.

"They don't think it's a shoo-in, they think we've got to earn it but they're really, really positive, and they're positive personally as well, and that's important because this is also about relationships."

Warning against complacency, Triesman suggested that the FA still needs to persuade all voters "about the merits of our bid, but without arrogance" as other contenders have "great stadia and passion for the game."

He lauded the infrastructure, stadia and passion for the game in England, but is of the belief that these alone will not swing the vote in the FA's favour.

"What people really want to know is what you're going to do around the rest of the world, particularly if you come from a nation that's very rich in its football.

"They want to know if you have as much interest in the development of football in all the FIFA regions as you have in your own football.

"You can only do that by going and talking to them about the legacy plan as well.

"They want to know what you're going to do in Botswana, Lesotho - are you going to build capacity, are you going to help them develop football so that they don't have to look always for outside help but can do it for themselves?"

"Right across the world we've got a long record of doing that. I'm proud of it, whether we're bidding or not we would carry on doing it.

"Those 24 need to know that, they need to feel that we're with them, not just when they cast the vote that they're with us."

The FA's efforts behind the scenes on a global scale, Triesman believes, should tip the favour in England's balance.

"I think it's going to be a very hard fight," he said. "I never accepted there were favourites in this.

"I think we're in with a really presentable chance and I'm very determined to prove those people who think we've not done well, I'm determined to prove them wrong.

"We will win and we should win."