By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
April 23 – England will face former captain Bryan Robson (pictured) when they play a friendly in Thailand in a move that appears designed to win the vote of Worawi Makudi, the President of the the country’s football association and a member of the FIFA Executive Committee, for its bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Makudi has revealed that Football Association chairman Lord Triesman and Premier League club Dave Richards agreed to the match during a recent visit to Bangkok.
The match is expected to take place in June 2011 and be the centrepiece of the King of Thailand’s 84th birthday celebrations.
Makudi has been trying to get England to agree to play the match for several months and had originally hoped to schedule a friendly before this year’s World Cup in South Africa.
But that did not fit in the plans of England manager Fabio Capello.
England have been playing a series of friendly matches against country’s who have FIFA Executive Committee members for nearly two years now.
It started in June 2008 when the team, including David Beckham, visited Port-of-Spain to play Trinidad and Tobago to try to win the vote of FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.
They played Egypt at Wembley last month, which gave them an opportunity to showcase the World Cup bid to Hany Abou Rida, another member of the FIFA Executive Committee.
Nigeria’s Dr. Amos Adamu, another FIFA Executive Committee, also wants to play England in a friendly.
The English Premier League is hugely popular in Thailand and the national side has had a series of English managers, including Peter Withe and Peter Reid.
Reid, who quit last September to return home to become assistant-manager of Stoke City, was replaced by Robson, the former England and Manchester United captain.
Makudi said: ”It will be a great honour for Thailand to play England.
“I am sure that it will be a great match for Thai fans.”
The final details will be finalised next month when Worawi and Suwat Liptapanlop, a consultant for the Football Association of Thailand, visit England to watch the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Portsmouth at Wembley.
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