THE North-East was putting a brave face on England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid yesterday despite the announcement jeopardising plans to improve the region’s infrastructure.

Officials within the Newcastle- Gateshead and Sunderland bid teams said they were determined to be positive, despite Fifa’s decision to hand the tournament to Russia.

Both St James’ Park and the Stadium of Light had been selected to host games if the World Cup had come to England in eight years’ time.

According to independent analysis, the failure of the bid means the region has lost out on a £70m windfall.

Chris Alexander, World Cup bid director at Sunderland City Council, said the city’s bid included ambitious plans to improve the infrastructure, including hotel stock, needed to support such a large-scale event. He added: “While it’s not true to say that every improvement to the infrastructure was entirely dependent on winning the right to host the tournament, we will have to review which developments are achievable now that we can’t look forward to the prospect of hosting the World Cup.”

However, Niall Quinn, chairman of Sunderland AFC, said he was determined not to let the failure end “wonderful partnerships”

that had been created.

“Our challenge now is to maintain those partnerships and focus on how, despite the result in Zurich, we can continue to strive to make Sunderland an even better, more successful and vibrant place for everyone who lives and works here,” he said.

Officials who had worked on the Tyneside bid were also trying to remain upbeat yesterday.

David Faulkner, leader of Newcastle City Council and chairman of the Newcastle-Gateshead host bid, said: “Newcastle-Gateshead still has a ten-year programme of sporting events to look forward to, including London 2012 Olympic football at St James’ Park, Ashes cricket in County Durham in 2013, pre-event training camps for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, and we also have the potential to host the Rugby League World Cup in 2013 and the Rugby Union World Cup in 2015.”

Mr Faulkner also paid tribute to the partnerships that had been formed over the past 18 months.

“We have the infrastructure, facilities and ambition to compete on a world scale and that is something we should celebrate,” he added.