England's failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup "was by far the strongest contender," FIFA official Harold Mayne-Nicholls was quoted as saying on Sunday.

"How could England have only got two votes? It was a big surprise," Mayne-Nicholls was quoted as saying in The Sunday Times.

The 53-year-old, a former Chilean soccer federation president, was chairman of a FIFA group tasked with assessing the strength and feasibility of the various bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals.