London, Manchester, Newcastle and Sunderland will be the potential World Cup host cities visited by Fifa's inspection team over the next four days, the English bid committee announced last night.
The inspectors, who will then compile a crucial technical report about what they have seen, are doing the rounds of countries competing to stage the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, the result of which will be declared on 2 December, 100 days from Tuesday.
Led by Harold Mayne-Nicholls, president of the Chilean FA, the six-man delegation also includes Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the local organising committee at the South African World Cup. They visited Holland and Belgium (who are running a joint bid) in July and last week were in Russia, now regarded as England's closest rivals.
Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Bristol and Plymouth are the other venues earmarked in the English bid; Derby, Leicester and Hull having been were dropped last December, partly in response to the desire for a wider geographical spread than was seen in either 1966 or at Euro 96. The previous English World Cup was based on London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and the North-east; 30 years later, the spread was much the same, with Nottingham and Leeds added.
Both those tournaments comprised only 16 teams, but a 32-team World Cup offered the chance to include the West Country as well as one or two venues not in the Premier League; what Lord Mawhinney of the bid committee called "a sprinkling of tomorrow". Hence the presence of Plymouth and Bristol, as well as Milton Keynes. Plymouth Argyle are committed to doubling the current capacity of Home Park to the minimum requirement of 40,000 and Bristol City need to build a new stadium altogether, which Nottingham Forest are also promising.
There is uncertainty over whether Liverpool will deliver a new Anfield or simply update the current stadium. Down in London, which is allowed three venues, no decision has yet been taken on whether Wembley and the Emirates will be joined by Tottenham's new ground or the Olympic stadium.
None of that need worry Fifa's inspectors. No bidding country yet has the requisite number of ultra-modern grounds with the required capacity, which increases to 60,000 for quarter-finals onwards and 80,000 for the final. Russia has more work to do than anyone, yet bookmakers now make them second favourites behind England, just ahead of Spain/Portugal.
drive from www.independent.co.uk