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England bid leader wanted to scrap World Cup bid |
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August 2, 2000
LONDON (AP) - Officials of England's 2006 World Cup bid wanted to withdraw from the race before the vote because they knew they had no chance of winning, former Sports Minister Tony Banks said. Banks said he and bid chief Alec McGivan gave up any hope after English hooligans went on the rampage in Belgium during the Euro 2000 soccer championship. According to Banks, on the night of the violence in Charleroi, he and McGiven had flown to New York to meet with FIFA members Chuck Blazer of the United States, David Sasso Sasso of Costa Rica and Trinidad's Jack Warner. The three delegates, whose support was crucial to the English bid, advised them that England should pull out, Banks said. Ten days before the July 6 vote, Banks said, he warned Prime Minister Tony Blair that England was in for a humiliating defeat. Banks said the bid team recommended to the Football Association that England should withdraw, but that he and McGiven were persuaded to push forward with the 10 million pound (dlrs 15 million) bid because the FA did not want to be seen as giving in to hooliganism. "We just knew at that point (10 days before the vote), although there was an outside chance, to be absolutely realistic, we couldn't do it," Banks told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We wanted to withdraw but the FA said, `You've got to go on.' "Because, and it's not an unreasonable line, you've got to go on because if you withdraw it'll be like surrendering to the hooligans - it'll be like the hooligans have forced us out. "And so we said `OK, fine, but now you've got to understand the situation. That as we have the figures here, we cannot see how we can do it. We can get close, maybe, and who knows, but we don't really think we are going to be able to do this."' England was eliminated after the first round of voting. Germany defeated South Africa 12-11 on the final ballot after New Zealand delegate Charles Dempsey abstained. |