New Football Association chairman Greg Clarke is not ruling out the possibility of England captain Wayne Rooney playing beyond the 2018 World Cup.
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Clarke’s predecessor, Greg Dyke, said in 2013 that England should aim to reach the semifinals of Euro 2020 and then claim glory at the World Cup two years later.
“I was mulling on the way back on the plane from Slovakia what Brexit does to our chances of a future tournament because I never had any expectations of a new tournament (bid) in my tenure”, Clarke was quoted as saying by British media on Wednesday.
“But we are leaving the EU”. The 49-year-old official is fearful England might find it tougher to build alliances following the vote and, therefore, it will be harder to win bids to host World Cups and European Championships. “I don’t know the answer to that, but we have to get to the bottom of that”, Clarke said, according to ESPN. “So it’s doubly important to have really strong relationships in UEFA and Federation Internationale de Football Association and I’m going to be working hard at that”. “It could mean we have to slightly change our tactics for getting a tournament”.
“It might be jointly hosted with an European Union member”, he added of a potential bid.
“I am here to get the stakeholders to line up and start delivering for the England national team, start delivering for the grass roots and everyone in between”.
“I like a few jokes, I like a good laugh, so I’ll go up to St George’s Park and have a good laugh at the clock”.
But speaking at Kick It Out’s “Call Full Time On Hate” campaign, Clarke suggested time might be up for the clock.
Rooney became England’s most capped outfield player when he featured in 1-0 win over Slovakia in a World Cup qualifier at the weekend.
England captain Wayne Rooney announced last week that he will retire from global duty after the World Cup in Russian Federation.
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“I note that (Argentina captain Lionel) Messi retired and then made a decision to come back again”, Clarke said. “If you are good enough, Sam will pick you”.
