Double sponsorship deal joy for FA

This latest deal, which includes changing the name of the traditional Charity Shield curtain-raiser to the Community Shield, brings the total sponsorship income to more than £200m in two months alone with the FA confident of adding at least three more similar sponsorship deals, bringing the total to a staggering £300m.

With security a primary concern following the 11 September terrorist atrocities in America, the FA is especially delighted with the BA deal because it wanted an agreement that would guarantee it exclusive use of planes for the flights to and from the Far East.

It will have its own security staff on board to boost BA's anti-terrorist measures.

BA will fly the 150-strong England party, which includes coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, his players, their partners and children plus FA officials to Dubai for a week-long training camp on 13 May.

After that the partners and children will return to England while the squad jets off on a dedicated BA Boeing 777 to the South Korean island of Jeju where the side will complete their preparations.

They then head off to their Japanese base on the island of Awaji, their headquarters for the duration of their stay in the finals.

The FA's director of marketing, Paul Barber, said: "I am delighted the FA and British Airways are involved in this partnership.

"Clearly, transporting the England team during the World Cup is vitally important and it's great news that we're on board together to make this happen successfully."

The deal is similar to one the British Olympic Association did for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and will run until after the European Championships in Portugal in 2004.

BA director of marketing Martin George said: "British Airways is very proud to be carrying the England team to the world's greatest football event.

"We're sure the players will do their millions of fans proud and we wish them the very best of luck during the tournament. We're very hopeful we won't have to bring them home until after 30 June - as the winners of the World Cup." Not all of England's football heroes are likely to be happy about the link with BA, however. Two months after the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington, World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst said he wouldn't fly BA because he feared the airline might be a target for Islamic terrorists.

He said then: "You start thinking about flying now. You think, "Am I going to fly BA?". I'm not sure. I'm going to Australia shortly and I'm not going to fly BA. I'm going to go with an Arab airline."

Japanese and Korean authorities have already tightened security following the attacks by imposing nofly zones over World Cup stadiums and training bases.