A u-turn by the Treasury may be the key to bringing the greatest football event to the Mother of Football. England hopes to host the 2018 event, but one of the problems was that foreign players who earned their income while playing in England were taxed on the basis of their income. This was a disincentive for FIFA to award the hosting rights to England. Now, the Treasury has backed on the decision to tax players’ incomes, and is focussing more on the macroeconomic benefits that the English economy can gain by being the World Cup host, than the benefits it can gain from tax revenue, which is negligible when compared to the former.

The Wembley Stadium Managing Director, Alex Horne, praised such a change in policy, and said that it will certainly help England’s bid for the 2018 event, as well as bids for other competitions, like the Champions League final beng held in the new Wembley Stadium.

“Looking ahead, it’s great for the 2018 World Cup bid. Hopefully it will set a precedent. I also think that we can now put in a bid for the 2011 Champions’ League final now this has been cleared up. It’s an entirely appropriate decision for the good of England and the economy.” – Alex Horne