Andy Anson, the former commercial director of Manchester United, has been given the responsibility of chief executive of England's bid for the 2018 World Cup. The 44-year-old is currently European chief executive of the ATP, the governing body of men's professional tennis, and will take up his new role in January, after Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry turned down the job earlier this week. Anson also spent three years in Los Angeles working for the Walt Disney Corporation, so he knows quite a bit about Mickey Mouse operations !Lord Triesman, chairman of the 2018 bid, said Anson had "an excellent pedigree". "He had an outstanding record at Manchester United and understands both the football and commercial sides of the industry," said Triesman. "In his current role he has been at the centre of professional tennis and has done a tremendous job for the sport."
Anson quit Manchester United in 2006 after the Glazers pitched up and took over. He said England cannot afford to be complacent with their bid for the World Cup, as if we weren't aware of that already. "We cannot afford to sit back and expect success, we will have to work extremely hard to show the world that England is the place for the World Cup in 2018 and I'm delighted I shall be playing my part. It is an absolute privilege to be invited to take the role and play a part in the bid to bring the World Cup tournament back to England in 2018. It's a tremendous challenge and within the excitement there's also a huge responsibility for all of us working on the project. A World Cup here can benefit the nation and unite communities across the country but this is also a bid that will aim to unite the entire globe. We have fantastic infrastructure already in place - including some of the best and most famous stadia in world football - but that alone will not be enough."
England are likely to face competition from Australia, China and the United States, ahem, all great footballing nations, to host the tournament.....Back To Home Page.....
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