Fifa Delegation Travels To Nations Bidding For The 2018 and 2022 Finals

Monday, 19th July 2010 at 10:08am

Just four months ahead of the December 2 date for announcing which countries will win the right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Fifa officials have travelled to Japan to commence a tour of the nine countries involved in the bidding process.

The tour, which is scheduled to last a total of two months, will see the Fifa team spend three days with each of the bidding teams where they will assess the standards of the facilities, infrastructure and the stadia being put forward to host matches.

After visiting Japan, the Fifa delegation will head to South Korea, co-hosts with the Japanese in 2002, before trips to Australia, joint bidders the Netherlands and Belgium, and Russia before travelling to England in August.

The English bid is considered to be favourite to win the right to host the 2018 finals but it was thrown into turmoil just days after submitting the 1,752-page bid document in Zurich when elements of a conversation between Lord Triesman, head of the 2018 bid, and a former aide were published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

In the conversation, Lord Triesman suggested that Spain would drop its bid in 2018 in support of Russia if the Russians helped bribe officials in 2010 to aide a Spanish victory.

Lord Triesman resigned immediately and a Fifa inquiry into the matter found no truth behind the claims.

After visiting England, the Fifa team will travel to co-bidders Spain and Portugal, Qatar and the USA.

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