London: Premier League chairman Dave Richards resigned from the board of England’s 2018 World Cup bid on Tuesday.
“With the recent changes to the England 2018 bid team structure, I feel I can now best support a successful bid without the necessity of sitting on the board,” a statement from Richards said.
“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 of that. This must be our focus and priority going forward,” Richards added.
The news came after Manchester United chief executive David Gill had told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that England’s bid has addressed the concerns of FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.
CONCACAF head Warner criticised England organisers last month saying their bid lacked “stardust” and was falling off the pace. But Gill, who holds an advisory role to England’s bid committee, said a boardroom reshuffle has quelled those fears.
“A very big board is difficult to manage. The board now is much tighter and much more cohesive,” Gill said.
England is among eight countries bidding to host the 2018 World Cup.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 22:29