SAINTS could step in to try to host 2018 World Cup matches at St Mary’s if Portsmouth fail to deliver their stadium plans – according to Southampton executive chairman Nicola Cortese.
As part of England’s bid to host the 2018 finals, city councils have been invited to press their case for inclusion in the bid package and hopefully to stage games.
The bid requires a south coast club and Portsmouth have been put forward, promising a 40,000 seater stadium to replace Fratton Park as their potential venue.
As Portsmouth currently don’t have that ground, there has been some consternation that St Mary’s was not suggested before the deadline for applications passed.
Cortese says that was not the fault of the people currently running the club but insisted he would still try to get the city council to push the St Mary’s case if Portsmouth can’t deliver their new ground.
He said: “The bid application needs to go from the city council and for that reason it wasn’t done.
“There were a few deadlines down the road which the city already missed but we expressed to the city council our wish to make up the possibility of being a host for 2018.
“We need to wait.
“The 2018 bid of England needs to be supported by a host in the south so it’s Portsmouth on it and whether they can get their act together remains to be seen. If they can’t we will see."
Full story in today's Daily Echo
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