David Cameron deflects questions on corruption as he arrives in Zurich
• Prime minister 'focused on bringing World Cup to England'
• Fifa says it will not reopen investigation into ISL affair
• Fifa says it will not reopen investigation into ISL affair
David Cameron today deflected questions on allegations of Fifa corruption as he arrived here in Zurich to lobby on behalf of England's 2018 World Cup bid.
Cameron arrived today ahead of Thursday's vote to decide the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and immediately travelled to Fifa House to see the president, Sepp Blatter.Asked whether he was concerned that some of the 23 members of the Fifa executive committee who will make the decision "weren't straight" in the wake of last night's Panorama allegations he said his only concern was to win the vote.
"I've only got one focus here and that's trying to bring the World Cup home for England," he said. "That's going to be my focus, talking to the decision-makers and pressing them on the brilliance of English football and what we can bring for this bid. That's going to be my concern, nothing else."
Fifa today said it would not reopen investigations into the ISL affair, in which the now defunct sports marketing company is alleged to have paid around $100m (£64.2m) to senior sports officials in bribes between 1989 and 1999, despite new allegations by the BBC and two European newspapers against three of those who will vote on Thursday.
The BBC programme also contained allegations against Jack Warner, whose three votes are seen as crucial to England's chances. Cameron was due to meet Warner this afternoon, as well as other executive committee members.
Amid speculation about whether the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, will make the trip to press the case of the bookmakers' favourite, Cameron repeated the key messages that England 2018 executives hope will consolidate existing support and give momentum to those who they hope will switch in later rounds.
"I think we have got a very strong team here – Prince William, David Beckham and myself and we are going to be making the arguments for England 2018," he said. "We think we have got an incredibly strong case, the best technical bid, and I think we can make the biggest commercial success of the World Cup."
Beckham and the prince are also arriving today and will be strategically deployed to lobby different executive committee members and deliver key messages. The Russian bid chief, Vitaly Mutko, today echoed the Spain/Portugal camp when he said he believed that all of the voters had made up their mind, but the England team continue to believe their final push could be crucial in swaying opinion in the latter rounds.
Cameron is hoping to repeat the feat of the former prime minister Tony Blair, whose intense lobbying in Singapore in 2005 was seen as a key factor in helping London win the 2012 games.
The England bid team are hoping the findings of a confidential McKinsey report into the economic benefits of each bid, which ranked England ahead of their rivals, will help frame their pitch that they could deliver the best atmosphere for players and fans as well as the biggest financial boost to Fifa and the global game.
"If we want to enlarge the audience for football worldwide I think England 2018 is the best way to do that, so I think we'll be making all of those arguments," said Cameron. "Britain is passionate about football and we can put on a really great show, we can have full stadiums, we have got everything that is necessary to make this work and we are going to give this 110% over the next couple of days."
Cameron, who will be joined in Zurich by the sports minister, Hugh Robertson, and the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said it was right that the government should back the bid. "What governments should do and what I'm doing is to get behind the bid. We have got a great bid, it's independent of government and it's a really well put together bid and it involves football clubs and football enthusiasts right across the country," he said.
"What the government can do is get behind that and help assist, come here, talk to people and explain the passion that people in the United Kingdom have for football and how we can put on a great show in England, and that's what I'll be doing."
http://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/PJ/KATERINA-PAYNE-INCIDENT.htm
The McCanns refused to hand over Madeleines medical records...with the releasing of the news that JonBenet was an abused child we have to now ask was Madeleine McCann an abused child and if she was why is the might of the British Goverment covering it up ?
