October 18 - Paul Ince (pictured), a former England captain who is an ambassador for the country's bid to host the 2018 World Cup, has launched a stinging attack on Jack Warner, one of the 24 members of FIFA's ruling Executive Council who will vote on which country will be awarded the tournament.

 

The former Manchester United and Liverpool star has described the controversial Trinidadian as a "tin-pot football politician" who is "anti-English".

 

Earlier this month Warner criticised England's bid as "being off the pace", claimed that it had fallen behind Russia and the joint bid from Spain and Portugal and said that players like David Beckham and Michael Owen needed to be used in higher-profile roles if the World Cup was to be awarded to this country for the first time since 1966.

 

Ince, the first black player to captain his country who is now the manager of League One club MK Dons, has used his weekly column in the News of the World to hit back at Warner.

 

He wrote: "I get sick of people giving tin-pot football politicians like Jack Warner the oxygen of publicity.

 

"We all know he's anti-everything English, wants to see his name in the papers and on the news headline and just wants to give the FA a kicking at every turn, yet still he gains some kind of credibility.

 

"Why?

 

"Shouldn't we be concentrating on everything that's good about England?

 

"Our grounds are the best in the world, there are no fans as passionate and devoted as English football fans, we've got a great infrastructure in place and the rest of the world knows our organisation would be second to none.

 

"No, it's not our God-given right and I'm not getting caught up in all that 'Football's Coming Home' crap.

 

"But the time is right for it to be England again and that's why I'm devoting as much time as it takes to help get the World Cup back here."

 

Ince's comments could embarrass Lord Triesman, the chairman of England's bid, who had written to him to invite him to become an ambassador alongside Beckham and other former England internationals like John Barnes and Peter Beardsley.

 

Triesman knows that England's bid is unlikely to be successful unless Warner supports it.

 

Ince said: "I was fortunate enough to play for my country and am so passionate about England that I'd do anything it takes to get us the World Cup."

 

 

Related stories

October 2009: Warner hits back at England World Cup critics

October 2009: Warner claims England are off the pace in 2018 race and need Beckham
August 2009: Warner given the red-carpet treatment on visit to Sheffield
May 2009: Warner hits out at England World Cup 2018 BNP error