England have appointed the perfect man to be part of their team in this historic attempt to bring the World Cup, the biggest football event, to its homeland. 2018 is the year highly anticipated by all English football lovers. After they were asked to travel long distances to Korea-Japan, English viewers made a short trip to Germany in 2006 to watch their team compete for the coveted trophy. In the following two editions, they will again have to travel to far countries: South Africa and Brazil, in different timezones and totally different cultures. Ever since 1966, 10 World Cups have been staged, and England have won none of them.

2018 England won’t be good just for the English nationals, but also for worldwide lovers of the great game, being located in Europe, the central hub of football, also referred to as soccer. Leagues far countries like China and United States are trying to emulate the success of the Barclays Premiership, but maybe their intent is unrealistic. Nothing can match the beauty of the European game, with the UEFA Champions League being followed in these countries as much as it keeps European stuck to their TV couches in European midweek. England is the mother of football and it is only right for the competition to return to England after 12 editions’ absence.

Lord Sebastian Coe, honoured as Knight Commander (KBE) under the Order of the British Empire, is the person that will give the English bid the boost it needs to be successful. Coe’s name spells success. Sebastian himself won the Olympic gold in the 1500m in 1980 and 1984, and the Olympic silver in the 800m in both editions. In 1979, he broke 3 World record in just 41 days. That is his success from the sports point of view. His most recent success is bringing the Olympics 2012 to England, being the person responsible for this deal. His leadership skills makes English society proud for having nurtured such a person. He single-handedly convinced English stars like David Beckham, Sir Matthew Pinsent and Sir Steve Redgrave to give their backing for the 2012 Olympics bid, beating off rivals France.

Before the vote was taken in Singapore, Lord Coe delivered a stunning speech in an amazingly mastered strategy to fend off any possible doubts that England was the Number 1 destination for 2012. A BBC journalist described it: “His final speech was fantastic. It was statesmanlike. It was just a stunning performance – he touched every bullet point of the London bid. And the way in which he went back and touched on his own career and told what it meant when he watched the Olympics in 1968 was brilliant.”

Lord Coe also won the 2014 Commonwealth Games hosting for England. As part of his new role with the 2018 team, he will be a non-executive board member. He will continue to chair the organisation committees for the two competitions which he brought to England for the next decade, whilst hoping he can make it 3 in a row for England. He has arranged for a leave of absence from chairman of FIFA’s ethic committee. It is understood that he is upholding his country’s interests above his personal gains, doing this new job without a salary. In his comments, Lord Sebastian Coe’s big wish and strong will to bring the World Cup to England were very evident:

“Winning the World Cup would be the hat-trick in a golden era for the UK following the Olympics in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in 2014. I look forward to playing my part in our bid for the Fifa World Cup.”

“I am passionate about football so am delighted to be standing alongside many other people and football greats up and down the country in bidding for this event. I would like to thank Fifa President Mr Blatter for agreeing to this arrangement.”

Chairman of the board for the English 2018 bid, and incumbent FA Chairman, Lord Triesman, sounded his pleasure at having the backing of such a wonderful leader to reach the ultimate goal of hosting the World Cup:

“I firmly believe that making Lord Coe a member of our executive board significantly enhances our chances of success. Lord Coe is a highly regarded international sports ambassador who is not only passionate about football but also commands great respect in the global football community.”

“His experiences in leading the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid and generating a wealth of domestic and international support will be invaluable to us. He is also held in high esteem by the Fifa football family and this, coupled with his London 2012 success, means he is a tremendous addition to the board and to the 2018 team in general.”