Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said today that the coalition government and Prime Minister David Cameron were fully behind the bid, and hoped to welcome Blatter to London in the autumn, following the visit by FIFA delegates to inspect proposed World Cup facilities in August.

Hunt told Press Association Sport: "I've brought with me to South Africa a letter from David Cameron to Sepp Blatter inviting him to Downing Street to discuss the strength of the bid.

"It will be some time in the autumn and we really look forward to seeing him. What we really want to do is ensure our contact with him and with other FIFA executive committee members isn't just a one-off pitch. We want to meet them on a regular basis so they get a sense of how committed we are."

mfl