BBC accused of being unpatriotic by man behind England World Cup bid
The team behind England's 2018 bid believe a BBC Panoroma programme could cost England the chance of hosting the World Cup
He said the timing of the broadcast “is about one thing: Sensationalism. I don’t think its patriotic.”
The English 2018 team fear that negative press comments in the UK about Fifa could undermine their bid, despite a Fifa report, published today, which rated the country as a ‘low risk’ host.
Anson has met Mark Thomson, the BBC Director General to voice his concerns, although he made it clear he did not ask for the programme to be axed.
“I just told him about the potential implications,” he was reported as saying, “The issues seem to be things dealt with by the Swiss courts and by Fifa in the past. They’re not happy with someone raking over old issues, but then no one would be.
“Maybe we’re overreacting. I’m hoping it’s an uninteresting and uninspiring programme.”
Fifa will make a decision on who will host the 2018 World Cup on December 2.