As part of the doomed attempt to win the 2006 World Cup bid, the FA spent £10 million on glossy brochures and painting the sides of London cabs; on putting up Fifa’s inspectors at Clar-idge’s and hiring Royal Squadron helicopters to fly them around the country. For a lavish dinner at Hamp-ton Court, Hugh Grant was recruited to make an after-dinner speech as the FA spared no expense and the actor revealed exactly what Liz Hurley had advised by way of seducing the 24 committee men. “Just do what I do, darling,” she had said. “Wear a short skirt and sit on their knee.”

Hurley could have done that and a whole lot more, but it would have made no difference to England’s prospects. The FA had struck a gentlemen’s agreement to allow Germany a clear run. To all but a few blind men at the FA, the bid was stillborn before the first planning meeting.

The FA’s duplicity, its pretence that no such accord had been struck, did such grave damage to the organisation’s credibility that senior figures still trample over each other in the rush to distance themselves from those events. Only a few weeks ago, Geoff Thompson, the FA chairman, told me that, while he was required to support the campaign, he was privately against it from the start. What a shame no one told Sir Bobby Charlton that it was a colossal waste of time and money before he flew 400,000 miles on glad-handing missions.

England’s hopeless position was confirmed when the FA secured only one out of the eight votes from its own continent, but this time there are no private agreements. There are rivals from all corners of the world, but few of the leading countries have coveted this prize for so long. And, by God, the team need home advantage.

Best of all, there are reasons to hope that the FA will put together a credible campaign. Even Thompson has his uses. He will soon be leaving office at Soho Square to make way for a new independent chairman and that replacement will, hopefully, provide a bold and dynamic front for a slowly reforming organisation.

Meanwhile, Thompson can work on the FA’s behalf among the Fifa executive committee, a role far better suited to the former Justice of the Peace. England are far better represented at Uefa and Fifa than when bidding for 2006.

A crucial decision for Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, will be choosing the right person to head the bid. The London 2012 Olympics team had a false start with Barbara Cassani before Lord Coe grasped the reins so brilliantly. Sadly, English football does not have its Coe – or, for that matter, its Franz Beckenbauer or Michel Plati-ni.

The FA may have to look outside the sport, to a leading businessman, perhaps. The Government may want a say, given how closely Gordon Brown – assuming he is around long enough to care – has involved himself in the bid. We already have the stadiums, the infrastructure, the policing and, as the Prime Minister told The Times in February, unequivocal backing from Downing Street. Even the Germans are supportive.

If there are hidden dangers, they lie in the politicking at Fifa, an organisation that makes the International Olympic Committee look transparent. Sepp Blatter, the president, runs Fifa like a personal fiefdom and will tell each hopeful nation what it wants to hear.

The red-carpet treatment that he and the rest of Fifa’s hierarchy will expect as they tour the bidding countries is a scandal in itself and, sadly, the FA will again be forced to spend good money on suites at Claridge’s rather than coaching courses. But this time it could be worth the expense. And a World Cup will cost a lot less than the Olympics.

The rivals

China

Would spend on infrastructure
About to host the Olympics
Emerging market

Netherlands and Belgium

Joint bid increases chances of support from Fifa members
Solid showing in Euro 2000
Reasonable infrastructure

Australia

Only continent not to have hosted the tournament
Proved capable of staging leading events
Enthusiasm for sport is world-renowned

Russia

Can tap into wealth of oligarchs
Hosting 2014 Winter Olympics
A growing football power

United States

Hugely profitable for Fifa
Excellent stadiums
It is Concacaf’s “turn”

Tom Dart

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