Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes it is England's record in helping develop football around the world that will see the country win the race to host the 2018 World Cup finals.

It is widely accepted to be England's infrastructure and stadia that are its main weapons compared to bid rivals Spain/Portugal, Russia and Australia but bid chairman Triesman instead focused on the FA's work under the radar.

Triesman has come in for sustained criticism about the way the bid has been conducted thus far, and a restructuring of the board was announced following an emergency meeting last Thursday.

FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has also been an outspoken critic but Triesman insists England is still in pole position and has many friends around the world.

He told BBC Radio Five Live: "For all the criticism, when I've been going round the world I've seen pretty much every member of the executive committee of FIFA and I haven't run into the hostility or the negativity that some people have described, I really haven't.

"I would say, to anyone who says, 'well I would say that, wouldn't I', talk to those people.
They're really very positive about this country.

"They don't think it's a shoo-in, they think we've got to earn it but they're really, really positive, and they're positive personally as well, and that's important because this is also about relationships."

He continued: "It's a very small electorate. I think we need to persuade all 24 about the merits of our bid but without arrogance because there are other countries that have got great stadia and a passion for the game.

"But we have got great stadia, we've got great passion and all of the other building blocks. But what people really want to know is what you're going to do around the rest of the world, particularly if you come from a nation that's very rich in its football.

"They want to know if you have as much interest in the development of football in all the FIFA regions as you have in your own football.

"You can only do that by going and talking to them about the legacy plan as well. They want to know what you're going to do in Botswana, Lesotho - are you going to build capacity, are you going to help them develop football so that they don't have to look always for outside help but can do it for themselves?

"Right across the world we've got a long record of doing that. I'm proud of it, whether we're bidding or not we would carry on doing it.

"Those 24 need to know that, they need to feel that we're with them, not just when they cast the vote that they're with us."

Triesman is braced for a close race but remains confident England will come out on top when the victor is named next December.

"I think it's going to be a very hard fight," he said. "I never accepted there were favourites in this.

"I think we're in with a really presentable chance and I'm very determined to prove those people who think we've not done well, I'm determined to prove them wrong. We will win and we should win."