Ian Riley, a South African, has been hired as technical bid director, a key role given the furore over England's failed bid for 2006 when it was placed third behind Germany and South Africa by FIFA's technical inspection team.

Riley fulfilled a similar role for South Africa's successful campaign for 2010, no easy task given that all their stadiums needed revamping or building from scratch.

He has also been involved in advising on the organisation of the tournament in South Africa, in talks with FIFA on the 2010 budget and the hosting agreement.

A statement from England 2018 said: "The technical bid will be England 2018 Ltd's response to FIFA's list of requirements for the hosting of the 2018 World Cup and puts forward England's compelling argument to host the event.

"Ian was previously the tournament director of the 20th African Cup of Nations that was successfully hosted in South Africa as well as being a member of the CAF Media Committee and a FIFA marketing instructor."