MK gets the OK: Town which did not exist in 1966 is one of World Cup hosts

17 December 2009 12:52
France versus Brazil in Milton Keynes? A dream match in a fanciful location is a giant step closer to reality after a town which didn't even have a team of its own when football came home for Euro 96 was chosen to host potential World Cup games.[LNB]Moreover, when England last hosted the World Cup in 1966, the new town didn't exist at all and its cows were real and grazing on undeveloped farmland.[LNB]If the inclusion of Milton Keynes' stadium:mk in England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup will infuriate traditionalists, the selection of Plymouth Argyle's Home Park will appeal to those who believe the whole of the country should be touched by World Cup fever.[LNB]As positive sells go, the beleaguered 2018 bid team reckon they have made up whatever ground was lost in what was perceived by certain FIFA observers as a lethargic and complacent start to the campaign.[LNB]Click here for a picture gallery of the stadia for England's 2018 World Cup bid City of dreams: Members of the bid team pose with a map of the successful cities[LNB]VIDEO: MK Dons boss Paul Ince on the news...[LNB]Certainly they could not have invited a more enthusiastic character to jump on their bandwagon than MK Dons' founder and chairman Pete Winkelman. [LNB]Winkelman said: 'It doesn't surprise me. We've had complete political unity in the city and everyone from the police to the NHS have been backing the bid. That is what made our bid stand out.[LNB]'It's reward for the emphasis that the city of Milton Keynes has put on football and its development. Stadium:mk is only halfway there at the moment but people have seen the quality of it and we have a record of delivering the infrastructure.'[LNB]Winkelman ensured the announcement in central London was screened live at stadium:mk, while the Liverpool bid team crowded around a screen in Jamie Carragher's father's bar in the city.[LNB]In spite of the uncertainty surrounding the building of a 72,000-capacity new Anfield, Lord Mawhinney, chairman of the 2018 Technical Bid Panel, insisted there had never been any doubt about Liverpool's inclusion in a list which will be put forward to FIFA when the bid is formally submitted next May.[LNB] Football's coming home: Lord Mawinney is part of the 2018 bid team[LNB]Mawhinney said: 'It would have been very hard to envisage an impressive World Cup bid that didn't include Liverpool. Liverpool is an iconic city that should be on the list.[LNB]'I don't believe there's an unacceptable risk to the bid with so many new stadia in it. The world wouldn't have understood if we hadn't put our world famous stadia in the bid. But the new stadia are exciting proposals and legacy is about tomorrow.'[LNB]As well as submissions regarding their stadiums, the bidding cities were asked to detail accommodation and infrastructure plans as well as produce innovations for the Fan Fest sites which will add to the festival atmosphere sweeping the country.[LNB]The inclusion of Home Park, which will be redeveloped into a near-44,000-capacity stadium, means there is a 410-mile spread between the Devon city and the North East grounds in Newcastle and Sunderland.[LNB]Balancing an emphasis on football heartlands while pandering to FIFA's emphasis on legacy was never going to be easy. While Derby and Leicester were expected to miss out to nearby Nottingham as representatives of the east Midlands, Hull, the most easterly of the bidding cities outside London, will feel aggrieved to be excluded.[LNB]There is a question mark over London's third venue either the new Olympic Stadium or the proposed new White Hart Lane. Only one can be used alongside Wembley and the Emirates under FIFA rules decreeing that any city may have three venues.[LNB]If the Olympic Stadium is not reduced post-2012 below a 67,000 capacity and a new 58,000-capacity White Hart Lane survives planning issues, FIFA will decide which should feature. But neither project is a certainty and that could lead to FIFA asking awkward questions.[LNB]  World Cup set for Milton Keynes! Bristol and Plymouth also on England 2018 bid list, but Derby, Leicester and Hull miss outMartin Samuel: David Beckham must rule our World Cup bid for 2018Amanda Holden backs London, Wallace and Gromit support Bristol and Lennox Lewis loves Leeds... England's cities battle for the right to stage 2018 World Cup matchesBeckham: 2018 bid problems are in the past - England are ready to host the World CupCLICK HERE FOR A PICTURE GALLERY OF THE STADIA FOR ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP BID[LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail