Virgin Atlantic has flown to the rescue with an offer to fly England’s footballers to next year’s World Cup in Brazil after rival British Airways refused.
Flag-carrier BA said it does not have a plane available, although insiders suggested the £10 million bill was to blame. But Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin told the Standard: “We would be proud to fly the England squad to the World Cup next year.”
BA said: “We have not refused to carry the team, but regrettably do not have spare aircraft availability during the busy summer period. This was not a question of a single flight or a simple return. We wish the team the best of luck.”
The FA already faced a financial headache after National Express and the Nationwide dropped multi-million sponsorship after England’s showing in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
