Inside Lines: Euro exit a blow to 2018 World Cup bid

Brian Barwick and the FA buffers are burying their heads as deeply in the Wembley mire as were the feet of England's players on Wednesday if they believe the Euro exit will not harm prospects of hosting the 2018 World Cup. Leapfroggers Russia, gifted a passage to next year's finals, will seize the opportunity to use their presence at the finals in Austria and Switzerland to press their own claim. Indeed, our Russian spies tell us that President Putin was "delighted" to see England stumble and has personally instructed his sports minister Vyacheslava Fetisov to "pull out all the stops" to secure 2018 for Russia. Former ice hockey icon Fetisov has many friends in Fifa, not least Sepp Blatter, and will ensure that Russia's candidature, to be confirmed shortly, will be the most serious challenge to England. It could also be significant that England's demotion to a second-class football power has not evoked much sympathy among the nations gathered in Durban for the 2010 World Cup draw. That "arrogant" reputation, highlited last week by the Croatians, remains hard to erase.