CITY councillors last night gave their full support to sign off Derby's bid to host the football World Cup.

Members of the council had already agreed in principle to underwrite the city's £15m campaign to become a host venue for the prestigious tournament in 2018 or 2022.

But councillors confirmed their backing at the full council meeting, including agreeing to the payment of £250,000 to the Football Association, which all 12 successful cities will be required to contribute to promote England's bid to FIFA.

Council leader Hilary Jones said: "This is a great opportunity for Derby and for our local economy."

Financial projections suggest that the World Cup could bring up to £100m in revenue and investment to Derby, one of 16 cities competing to stage the tournament.