The FA has confirmed that a £2.5 million loan from the government has been received in order to support running costs for England’s 2018 bid.

Unfortunately, the amount received from the government was only half of what was originally agreed with the FA. Nevertheless, the unforgiving economic climate has seen the figure reduced by half despite Prime Minister Gordan Brown vowing to do everything in his power to help England win the bid.

As a result, the England bid team are now searching for commercial partners to help support the bid financially. The team are likely to target wealthy individuals to help raise the finance to improve their campaign. However, they are unlikely to receive the same backing as the Russians who received £15.5 million from their government.

Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said the money would “help the campaign team make the case for a fantastic World Cup in England in 2018″.