Football: EPL chief quits England's 2018 World Cup bid team
Posted: 25 November 2009 0340 hrs

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LONDON: England's struggling bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals suffered another setback on Tuesday when English Premier League (EPL) chairman Dave Richards resigned from the board.

Richards, in a letter to David Triesman, the chairman of both the bid and England's governing Football Association, said he would continue to support the campaign but no longer wanted to be a board member.

His move came just 10 days after Triesman, already under fire for a dual role which his critics maintain does not leave him with enough time to devote to the bid, had tried to calm rising tensions by streamlining the board.

Richards said in a statement: "My positions as Premier League chairman, FA board member and chairman of the FA's international committee provide me with ample opportunities to bang the drum for English football, and the bid particularly, right across the world, which I will continue to do wherever and whenever I can.

"My belief is that England has all the right attributes to host a successful FIFA World Cup, our challenge now is to convince the 24 members of FIFA's ExCo (executive committee) of that.

"This must be our focus and priority going forward."

Richards's resignation will be viewed by many within English football, and beyond, as an example of the strained relations that have existed between the FA and the Premier League ever since Triesman publicly criticised clubs' debts in October 2008.

But bid chief executive Andy Anson maintained in a statement on Tuesday that Richards's exit was not a "Premier League issue".

Anson said: "This was a personal decision by Sir Dave but he will continue to support the World Cup bid and use his wealth of international experience to support the campaign.

"He clearly remains committed to helping England win and he'll continue to go around the world lobbying on our behalf. This is not a Premier League issue.

"Sir Dave has made his own decision about his place on the board, so we've accepted his resignation and we move on."

Anson added that the likes of EPL chief executive Richard Scuadmore, Manchester United chief executive David Gill and former Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon were all working to promote the bid.

"I've spoken to Richard Scudamore and David Gill who are out in Kuala Lumpur with Peter Kenyon working for the Premier League and supporting the bid.

"They have done some excellent work on our behalf around Asia on their current trip so this not an issue about the Premier League.

"There is so much that's good going on at the moment...and David Beckham supporting us in South Africa next week (at the draw for the 2010 World Cup finals).

Recent concerns surrounding the English bid were sparked several weeks ago when FIFA vice-president Jack Warner described their approach as "lightweight" and there were also rows over reduced government funding.

This was followed by revelations that the England bid team were giving designer handbags to the wives of FIFA members.

Warner returned the gift and sent an angry letter to Triesman.

Both Richards and Scudamore were both ignored when Triesman put the original bid team together until, reportedly, Anson urged Triesman to bring Richards on board in a bid to make use of the EPL's extensive international contacts.

A joint bid from Spain and Portugal is considered the main opposition to England, while Russia and Australia are also among leading contenders. The host country will be chosen in December 2010.

England have only staged the World Cup once, in 1966, when they won for the only time in their history by defeating the then West Germany 4-2 after extra time in the final at London's Wembley Stadium. - AFP/de