England's 2018 World Cup Bid Blown Apart By "Bribery" Storm

England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup may never recover after chairman Lord Triesman suggested rivals Russia could help Spain to bribe referees at this year’s tournament in South Africa.

Triesman has resigned from the bid committee AND the FA tonight after the damaging revelations in this morning's Mail on Sunday in London.

FIFA rules prohibit World Cup bidders from talking about rival bids but Triesman was quoted in the article as saying to former aide Melissa Jacobs: "Spain are looking for help...to bribe the referees."

The 2018 bid team has already faxed letters of apology to the Russian and Spanish FAs in a "major damage limitation exercise." But the bid looks mortally wounded after the newspaper obtained a secretly tape-recorded conversation of Triesman’s bizarre conversation.

Triesman is quoted as saying: "There's some evidence that the Spanish football authorities are trying to identify the referees...and pay them. Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia."

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said of Triesman’s decision to step down: "It is absolutely the right decision to take.

"All is not lost, we would rather we weren't dealing with the situation but it is better that it has happened now, so soon after handing over the bid book (David Beckham did that last week with Triesman, above), rather than two, three months out.

"It is not good for the organisation and it would be ludicrous to pretend otherwise but the fundamentals that underpin the bid are as strong as ever and will be remembered long after this unfortunate event is forgotten."

The FA has so far refused to comment, though they did attempt—and fai—to take out an injunction against the Mail publishing the story.

Spain and Russia are fuming, FIFA is in disbelief, and Triesman’s departure is unlikely to ease tensions.

He said tonight: "I have decided to resign as chairman of the FA and the 2018 Bid board. A private conversation with someone whom I thought to be a friend was taped without my knowledge and passed to a national newspaper.

"That same friend has also chosen to greatly exaggerate the extent of our friendship.

"In that conversation I commentated on speculation circulating about conspiracies around the world. Those comments were never intended to be taken seriously, as indeed is the case with many private conversations.

"Entrapment, especially by a friend, is an unpleasant experience both for my family and me but it leaves me with no alternative but to resign."

The 2018 World Cup is likely to go to Europe after Brazil 2014, with England and Russia the favourites ahead of joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands.

One of the other five non-European bidders—Australia, United States, Japan, Qatar and South Korea—are likely to be awarded the 2022 World Cup.