The England 2018 World Cup bid has found an unlikely ally in former Argentina goal machine Gabriel Batistuta. The ex Florentina hitman is now a representative of Qatar’s 2022 campaign after ending his career with successful club side Al-Arabi.

In various interviews, Batistuta has claimed that he hopes England win the 2018 bid to avoid coming up against them in the race to host the 2022 tournament.

The World Cup has never been hosted in the Middle East but Qatar are making strides towards winning the rights with Batistuta claiming that their campaign is particularly impressive.

Batistuta said: “The Islamic culture is a question mark for many people across the world, but Qatar opens its doors to supporters all over the world so they can learn from this old culture. The second important thing to bear in mind is that it will be played in a small country in different conditions to what people have experienced before. We won’t need planes to transport people from one stadium to another. There are trains, but this may be an option only for those who do not wish to walk, and the fact that the stadiums are so close allows the supporters to follow their teams by staying at the same hotel.

Qatar are currently directly up against Asian rivals Indonesia and South Korea. However, there is also a threat that many of the failed 2018 campaigns will pledge their case for the 2022 tournament. Batistuta would much rather that England have no need to go up against Qatar when the decision is made in December 2010.