I wonder how much the Qataris spent on their bribes, er, I mean bid?
FA accounts reveal doomed 2018 World Cup bid cost a staggering £21m

By Martyn Ziegler

Last updated at 7:37 PM on 10th October 2011



England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid cost £21million - some £6m more than had been widely reported, according to the latest FA accounts.

The bid ended in humiliation last December, attracting only two FIFA members’ votes, including that of British FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson - a former FA chairman.

The FA accounts have for the first time provided details of the total spending and income of the bid. They show that although net spending was £14m, the total expenditure over two years was £21m. The spending was offset by some public money - local authorities from bidding cities provided £2.5m - plus a further £4.5m coming from sponsors.


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Until now it had been thought the expenditure had been £15m, including the public money. That was also the sum mentioned by Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson last week at the Leaders in Football conference in London.

Robertson said he regretted the money that had been spent on the 2018 bid because FIFA had been intent on taking the World Cup to new territories.

He said: ‘When I look back on it, I wish we’d had the gumption to realise at a very early stage that FIFA wanted something fundamentally different than what we were putting on the table. I wish we’d had foresight to appreciate that earlier in order to stop the investment of £15m.’


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England’s spending per vote won was the highest of any bidding country apart from Australia, who spent £28m on their 2022 campaign and won the support of just a single delegate.

The FA accounts also show that overall turnover dropped in 2010 by £5m to £304m, mainly owing to the effect of the collapse of the TV broadcaster Setanta in 2009, which cost the FA £8m in income last year.

Overall, however, there were signs the FA’s finances are working efficiently, with the organisation returning profit after tax of £9m compared to a £3m loss in 2009. The FA’s total cash balances increased by £10m during the year and stand at £75m.


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Income from the Club Wembley scheme dropped by £5m to £60m, and income from events at Wembley fell by £6m to £12m, with fewer events being staged. Despite England’s disappointing display at the World Cup, the FA earned £7m in prize money.

The FA cut the amount it invests in the game by £5m, with grants to the Football Foundation cut by £3m compared to 2009.