LONDON — Next Thursday at FIFA House in Zurich the host for the 2018 World Cup will be chosen. The best bid — England's — will probably not win.
Football has taken a back seat to tales of corruption, bungs, political maneuvering and old scores being settled. England has better credentials than its rivals, but in the murky waters of FIFA that is unlikely to be enough.
There is a growing feeling that the joint-bid by Spain and Portugal will pip Russia for the right to stage the 2018 finals, leaving England third and Holland/Belgium with the wooden spoon.