David Beckham: Football is in England’s DNA

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The England midfielder is the figurehead of the 2018 campaign and key talks with FIFA president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Jack Warner yesterday will be followed by meetings with the four African members of FIFA's executive committee tomorrow.

Beckham, visiting a football development project in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township part-funded by the Football Association, said his message to members was that "football is in our DNA" and that a World Cup in England would leave a legacy for the game.

England's bid has been in turmoil over the past six weeks when criticism by Warner was followed by public divisions among bid leaders culminating in Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards resigning from the board.

Beckham believes those troubles are now at an end and that there are many points in England's favour.

"There has been some negative stuff said about the bid but you can be sure people are working hard to get this for the country," said the 34-year-old. "We can win the campaign with hard work. Nothing in life is easy, you have to work for special things to be given to you.

"England is one of the few countries with its stadia and its infrastructure that could host a World Cup almost immediately, next week.

"We have one of the biggest leagues in the world but you can't get over-confident that just because we have that we will automatically be given the World Cup. It takes more than that to win a World Cup bid.

"Football is in our culture, in our DNA, it's in us from the moment we are brought into this world, from when we are born and that's something we will always have."

Beckham still hopes to attend tomorrow's draw for next year's World Cup finals in Cape Town despite the death of his grandfather this week.

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