The Premier League chairman Dave Richards has stepped down from his position on the board of England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals.

It follows a restructuring of the board last week which saw numbers drastically reduced.

"With the recent changes to the England 2018 bid team structure, I feel I can now best support a successful bid without the necessity of sitting on the board," a statement from Richards said.

"My positions as Premier League Chairman, FA board member and chairman of the FA's international committee provide me with ample opportunities to bang the drum for English football, and the bid particularly, right across the world, which I will continue to do wherever and whenever I can.

"My belief is that England has all the right attributes to host a successful World Cup - our challenge now is to convince the 24 members of Fifa's executive committee of that. This must be our focus and priority going forward."

Richards's resignation came just hours after board member David Gill, the chief executive of Manchester United, had described the group as "tighter and more cohesive".