Gullit to lead HollandBelgium in race to win World Cup bidding battle

Ruud Gullit: the face of World Cup ambition / Fotosports.com

KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications

LONDON, Feb 09: Ruud Gullit has been confirmed as the ‘main face’ of Belgium and Holland’s bid to win host rights to the World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022.

The HollandBelgium bid is one of the few European contenders who continue to place a possible emphasis on the alternative of a 2022 hosting. England, Spain and Portugal as well as Russia are demonstrating the confidence of focusing their bid assault on 2018, the first of the two World Cups being allocated by FIFA’s executive next December.

The HollandBelgium board voted unanimously to appoint Gullit in the hope that his “vast football knowledge and enormous international appeal” could be a “potential ‘trump card.’”

Gullit was World Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989, European Footballer opf the Year in 1987 after being a European Champion with Holland in 1988 and a Champions Cup-winner with Milan in 1989 and 1990.

The bid's list of player ambassadors includes: Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Clarence Seedorf, Eric Gerets, Dennis Bergkamp, Michel Preud'homme and Edwin Van der Sar. A new addition is Ahmed Hassan, who has just won a record third African Nations Cup with Egypt; he was voted Player of the Tournament at the recent African finals in Togo.

Harry Been, bid chief executive, said: “With his reputation and enormous international appeal, Ruud Gullit’s appointment is of great significance for our candidacy. Ruud has a tremendous football background and knowledge that we believe can be a great advantage for the bid.

"During the official presentation of the candidacy to the world’s press in Cape Town in December last year, Ruud proved himself a great ambassador. He believes in our chances and is fully behind our message of ‘Together for Great Goals’, which shows how a World Cup in our countries can be of value to the rest of the world."

Other supporting sports stars include Belgian cycle legend Eddy Merckx, Olympic wwimming champion Pieter Van den Hoogenband, tennis star Justine Henin, Dutch women’s soccer captain Daphne Koster and Belgian Olympic medallist Kim Gevaert.

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Keywords · HollandBelgium · Gullit · 2018 World Cup

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