January 13 – England’s Ill-Fated Bid

Ah remember Euro 96? El Tel, Psycho’s penalty, thrashing the Dutch, Baddiel and Skinner, Gazza’s goal and so on. Brilliant wasn’t it? Well the FA suits certainly thought so, and given that the whole shebang went off with remarkably few cock-ups or problems and had been a jolly nice little distraction, the powers that be decided to go for the only thing bigger: the World Cup.

We hadn’t hosted the blessed thing since 1966 and as it looked like the only chance we might ever have of winning it again was by having it played on home soil. Anyway we invented the game so it was our birthright to have it, wasn’t it?

Today in 1997 the FA launched their bid for the 2006 tournament with 1966 hat-trick hero the man chosen to spearhead the English bid. What followed were three sorry years which saw England fall from heavy favourites and front-runners, to crushed losers as Germany eventually won the right to stage the 2006 competition.

The first problems occured a year after the England bid was launched. Fifa big cheese and incoming president Sepp Blatter was keen for the tournament to go to Africa for the first time and reports emerged that he had already promised the finals to South Africa.

Franz Beckenbauer stepped in and suggested that the only way to counter the South Africans was to have a joint bid between England and Germany. The FA dismissed the idea but would later wish they has listened to der Kaiser.

Soon even Tony Blair, sensing some popularist activity he could bask in the reflective glory of, jumped on board the England bandwagon and met with Fifa top bod Dr Joao Havelange who then promised he backing.

Things were looking good until France 98 when the old English problem of hooliganism reared its very ugly head in Marseille. England officials claimed it would not harm the bid but nobody fell for that one.

Then Manchester United were dragged into the sorry mess when the FA asked them to enter the Fifa World Club Championships in Brazil in 1999. The move caused huge controversy as it meant United could not enter the FA Cup. Despite a shocking performance in Rio, Alec McGivan, England’s campaign leader, said United’s participation helped the bid, “enormously”.

As the new millennium dawned South Africa were still the favourites but Germany were catching up fast. Two Scottish Nationalist MPs even announced they would support Germany against England as the bid started to really falter.

Things got even worse in June 2000 when England fans rioted in Charleroi. Sports minister Tony Banks said the situation was now, “very bleak”.

Despite a desperate last-ditch attempt to save the bid by Home Secretary Jack Straw when he introduced some rushed anti-hooligan legislation, it was clear the game was up. England were eliminated in July 2000.

It was claimed that the real reason the bid failed was that England had reneged on a gentleman’s agreement forged years earlier with Germany. In an accord reminiscent of the Blair/Brown deal, it was rumoured that Germany had promised to support England’s bid for Euro 96 if England would do the same in return for Germany’s World Cup 2006 bid. It got out that the English had done the dirty and the Fifa suits were none too impressed.

Still, now we can all look forward to the ways in which the committee will somehow conspire to muck up the 2018 bid.

In a sort of Bullseye “Let’s have a look at what you could have won” moment, have a look at a good montage of England’s 2006 campaign below, and check us out tomorrow for more sepia-tinged football memories. Oh, and before we go, guess which French super star car salesman signed his first professional contract on this day? Click here to find out.