City World Cup bid team in talks on £250k FA demand

CITIES bidding to host the World Cup want the FA to rethink its demand that successful authorities each contribute £250,000 for marketing.

Derby is among 16 centres bidding to host games should England be chosen to stage the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022.

But national bid bosses have said those areas picked to be part of England's campaign – it is thought 12 will get the nod – will have to contribute the extra cost towards promotion.

The bid team in Derby said if it had to pay it could do so.

It plans to use money from its contingency fund and expects to be able to more than recoup the £250,000 from the income being a host city would bring.

But of the 16 cities 13, including Derby, have entered talks to see if they can convince the FA to first reconsider its demand.

Richard Williams, Derby City Council assistant director (regeneration), said: "Cities were surprised by the request.

"Fourteen of the 16 cities are regularly in talks about various aspects of the bid process so we can share legal advice.

"This issue would have to be part of that.

"If they feel something should be paid to the FA we would go along with the majority."

He said Derby would be "comparing notes" with other cities before completing a report with recommendations which will go before the city council at its next full meeting on November 18.

Mr Williams said that if the cities did agree to pay the £250,000 contribution to the FA, then Derby could cover the bill.

"The money would come out of the £15m host city costs we have calculated, because there is a contingency amount built into that to pay for things, like this, which were unexpected," he said.

The chief executive of the city council, Adam Wilkinson, yesterday stated that the city council remained "committed to the bid to be host city for the World Cup".

The bid team in the city said it did not believe the additional cost would have any impact on the predicted income of £100m expected to come to the city if it wins the right to stage World Cup games.

Derby will submit its finished bid to the FA on November 26 with a decision on which cities will be included in the bid to FIFA made in December.

Derby Telegraph readers can still show their support at www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/bid and www.therams.co.uk.

You can also pledge your support on www.derby2018bid.com and www.england2018bid.com.