Lord Sebastian Coe hopes David Beckham can prove the ace up the sleeve of England's 2018 World Cup hopes.
Beckham, PM and Prince William help to present message
Bid board member Lord Sebastian Coe hopes David Beckham can prove the ace up the sleeve of England's 2018 World Cup hopes.
Fifa votes on the host nation on Thursday and all competing parties, including Russia, Portugal/Spain and Holland/Belgium are putting the finishing touches to their concluding presentations.
Beckham has been included in England's 23-man party that is in Zurich and on Wednesday morning he delivered a superbly slick performance at a press conference with the world's media.
Having worked with Beckham in Singapore during the successful campaign to win the right to stage the 2012 Olympic Games, Lord Coe is well aware of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder's strengths.
Lord Coe told
Sky Sports News of Beckham: "He is a huge card. Why do you think we took him to Singapore? We were very pleased that he was with us there.
High status
"He knows how to play on these occasions. He does it really, really well and, certainly in football, he is speaking to the family."
Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron have also been involved in England 2018's efforts in Zurich and the duo have been meeting with Fifa delegates.
Lord Coe hopes that the high status of bid representatives will help to mirror across-the-board messages and passion.
He said of England 2018's principles: "They are actually quite demonstrable when you have the future king of England, the Prime Minister and the iconic face of British sport all presenting a bid tomorrow, then you are actually in very good shape to start with.
"You need to make sure that the messages are clear and they are landed. You want to make sure that everybody gives an Oscar performance in the presentation and that is very important."
