Brazilian president backs England's World Cup bid

England's World Cup bid for 2018 or 2022 has been boosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva backing the campaign.

England's push to host the tournament for the first time since 1966 has been rocked by weeks of internal infighting. But Silva endorsed the bid in an interview with Britain's Channel Four on Sunday, a day after FIFA vice president Jack Warner also offered his support.

Silva says "now is the time for the UK to host a FIFA cup again."

England's bid chairman, David Triesman, says the Brazilian president's backing is "really important."

The other contenders are Russia, United States, Australia, Japan and joint bids from Netherlands-Belgium and Spain-Portugal.