Prince William to boost England’s ‘troubled’ 2018 World Cup bid

Prince William has offered to stand with brother Harry and David Beckham as the “three lions” to help England become 2018 World Cup hosts.

William, who is president of the Football Association, is said to be worried about the scandal in which former FA chairman Lord Triesman claimed that Russia and Spain would try to bribe their way to success.

“He is now to take a more prominent role in the bid,” The Daily Star quoted a St James’s Palace official, as saying.

“He’s a tremendous football fan and one who is lucky enough to be in a position to help England achieve something,” the official added.

According to reports, William, Harry and Beckham will be at next month’s FA reception in South Africa for FIFA officials, where they will try to salvage England’s case.

Lord Triesman was forced to resign last Sunday after a newspaper published transcripts from a recorded conversation in which he made serious allegations against the Spanish and Russian football associations.

He had suggested that the Spanish federation was willing to support Russia’s bid for the 2018 tournament in exchange for assistance in bribing referees at this year’s World Cup in South Africa to Spain’s advantage.

The revelations are believed to have done immense harm to England's cause, but officials are confident that they have begun the process of smoothing away the fallout.