Triesman: Fifa members ‘demanded cash and honours’ for votes
Former Football Association Chairman Lord Triesman has told a committee of MPs that FIFA members asked for ‘bribes’ in return for World Cup bid votes
Appearing before the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Lord David Triesman – who was chairman of England’s bid before stepping down last May – said the four FIFA executives had behaved “below what would be ethically acceptable”.
Lord Triesman said the FA chose not to complain because it feared it might jeopardise England’s bid, which collected only two out of 22 votes last December.
He claimed Trinidad and Tobago member Jack Warner asked for £2.5m to be channelled through him to build schools.
Warner has denied any wrongdoing and described the accusation as “nonsense”.
“I have no intention of dignifying that piece of nonsense of Triesman, who no doubt feels that he can revive his dying political career by mentioning that piece of foolishness,” he said.
Triesman also alleges that Brazil’s FIFA member Ricardo Teixeira told him to “come and tell me what you have got for me.”
Paraguay’s executive Nicolas Leoz is accused of asking for a knighthood in exchange for his backing of England’s 2018 bid.
Lord Triesman went on to claim Thailand’s FIFA executive Worawi Makudi wanted to be given the TV rights to a friendly between England and the Thai national team, in exchange for his World Cup 2018 host vote.
John Whittingdale, chairman of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport Committee, urged FIFA president Sepp Blatter to launch an “urgent” investigation.
Blatter himself promised immediate action if evidence of wrongdoing by executive committee members was revealed.
Read more: why England's 2018 bid failed
“There is a new round of information. Give us time to digest that and start the investigation by asking for evidence on what has been said. We will react immediately against all those in breach of the ethics code rules,” he said.
The committee also said it had received evidence that FIFA vice-president Issa Hayatou from Cameroon and Jacques Anouma from the Ivory Coast received $1.5m between them to vote for Qatar’s 2022 bid.
Amos Adamu from Nigeria and Reynald Temarii from Tahiti, two other executive committee members, were banned by FIFA’s ethics committee last year.
The latest developments mean eight executive committee members – one third of the total of 24 – have either been alleged to have been or already found guilty of impropriety.
Lord Triesman stood down as chairman of the Football Association, as well as the England 2018 World Cup bid, following the revelation of tapes claiming Spain and Russia were seeking to bribe referees at last year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.