WORLD CUP BIDDING: ENGLAND'S 2018 bid team said yesterday that if they won the right to host the tournament it could help transform the fortunes of the England team and put an end to the dysfunctional squabbling among the game's administrators.

As well as stressing the messages that will today be delivered to the 22 Fifa voters about England’s ability to deliver record profits, put on a “good show” and invest globally in legacy projects, senior figures expressed hopes that a successful bid would also provide the impetus to correct some of the game’s perennial problems.

Sebastien Coe, the 2018 board member who played an important behind-the-scenes role in reshaping the bid team after a long period of internal strife, said that the focus of a home World Cup in 2018 could force the FA and the Premier League to work more closely together and focus on a successful England team.

“I hope it can help that change process. There are things that came out of the Olympic bid process that brought organisations that may not have been that familiar with each other, or collegiate, together,” said Coe, who has been advising the bid team on how to hone a campaign that has gained momentum in the last 24 hours but is still balanced on a knife edge.

“Seven years of delivery have made that a darn sight easier. Some of those organisations started talking and that’s a very strong legacy.”

He said winning the 2012 Olympics for London had forced organisations in British sport to work together, partly due to the added public and political scrutiny.

“I think delivering a complex project brings people together – whether they like it or not. I think delivering a World Cup will help that process,” he said.

Despite an apparent softening of support for Russia, a single vote could tip the balance and either send England out in the first round or put them on the path to eventual victory.

If England do not win the right to host the 2018 World Cup, it is likely to be the catalyst for another period of recriminations over the way the bid was conducted and the way English football is run.

John Barnes, a bid ambassador who is among the delegation of 30 who will attend today’s presentation, also said the World Cup could provide a focal point to address some of the issues surrounding youth development and the England team that came sharply into focus during the summer.

“I think if we win the World Cup then the FA have to focus on delivering a quality product for 2018, and when I say that I mean the England team,” he said.

“That is when the Premier League have to come to a decision and look at their relationship with the FA. Look at how the Germans responded to securing the World Cup. There was collusion between the Bundesliga and the federation to help the national team in every way possible. They realised that was the most important thing.

“Between now and 2018 so much work would have to be done. We need to see more English players at Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.”

David Beckham, who embarked on another round of lobbying and press engagements to press home England’s case, said it was vital that the home team was good enough to reach the latter stages if the World Cup bid was won.

The long-running debate around a winter break “would have to be looked at”, he said. “We play through Christmas and that is such an important part of our history but it does have to be looked at because we need our team to be right.

“I am not saying that we have been going to tournaments tired, but if we can get them fresher then that needs to be looked at. We have to do everything possible. So if and when we do get this World Cup that would need to be looked at.”

Along with Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron last night continued to press their case.

“It’s difficult to tell what’s really happening below the surface but you can see a strong and believable way that we can get enough votes in the first round and then start to pick up second and third preference votes which takes us over the line,” said the British sports minister Hugh Robertson.

“Nobody really knows because the beauty for Fifa members is that not only do they not have to declare publicly, nobody ever finds out afterwards so you can, with almost every bid, plot a way that they win.”

Miguel Angel Lopez, the general manager of the Spain-Portugal bid said last night that he thought England would reach the final round. “We are confident (but) we are not certain. We think we will win, we have eight votes for sure,” Lopez said.

GuardianService