England’s WCup bid chief quits over bribery claims
By ROB HARRIS, AP Sports Writer
May 16, 6:24 pm EDT
LONDON (AP)—David Triesman resigned as chairman of The Football Association and England’s World Cup bid team on Sunday after accusing 2018 bid rivals Spain and Russia of trying to bribe referees.
Triesman was secretly taped by a tabloid newspaper suggesting Russia was going to help Spain bribe referees at this year’s World Cup in return for gaining its support in the FIFA vote.
“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,” Triesman said in a statement. “I have immediately informed The FA Board of my decision.”
The FA Board installed David Sheepshanks and Roger Burden as acting joint chairmen, while the 2018 bid board appointed Geoff Thompson as chairman. Thompson is a vice president of FIFA and UEFA, and served as FA chairman for nine years before Triesman.
Triesman’s downfall came after the Mail on Sunday taped him two weeks ago talking with Melissa Jacobs, a former aide from his time as a government minister.
“A private conversation with someone whom I thought to be a friend was taped without my knowledge and passed to a national newspaper,” said Triesman, who became The FA’s first independent chairman in 2008. “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.”
England’s bid team took immediate action Sunday morning, faxing letters of apology to the Spanish and Russian football federations as well as FIFA, saying it didn’t support Triesman’s allegations.
“The views expressed were not the views of the 2018 bid board or The FA,” Triesman said. “Nobody should be under any misapprehension that The FA or 2018 bid board are disrespectful of other nations or FIFA, and I regret any such inference that may have been drawn from what has been reported.”
Russian bid chief Alexey Sorokin responded by describing the allegations as “absurd” and urged FIFA to “take appropriate measures” ahead of the December vote.
England 2018 bid board member Seb Coe, who is also chairman for the 2012 London Olympics, plans to speak to FIFA president Sepp Blatter about the situation.
Blatter was presented with England’s official bid book on Friday at FIFA headquarters in Zurich by the 66-year-old Triesman and former England captain David Beckham.
“This does not become a bad bid overnight—solid foundations are in place, we have the best venues, the most passionate fans, the best market for sponsors and an unparalleled ability to deliver this tournament in safe and secure surroundings,” Coe said. “The only thing we don’t have is the private views of the former chairman.”
In Europe, Spain is bidding jointly with Portugal to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, as are Belgium and Netherlands, while England and Russia are standing alone. Australia and United States are also bidding for either tournament, while Japan, Qatar and South Korea are concentrating on 2022 as they believe a European nation is favored to win for 2018.
Triesman claimed in the Mail’s recordings that Russia has “absolutely nothing at all to lose” and would cut deals to host the tournament for the first time.
“I think the Africans we are doing very well with (winning their votes). I think we’re doing kind of well with some of the Asians. Probably doing well with Central and North America,” Triesman was quoted as saying. “My assumption is that the Latin Americans, although they’ve not said so, will vote for Spain.
“And if Spain drop out, because Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia.”
England had been the favorite to win the vote by FIFA’s 24-man executive committee and host its second World Cup and first since 1966.
“It is not good for the organization and it would be ludicrous to pretend otherwise, but the fundamentals that underpin the bid are as strong as ever,” new Britain sports minister Hugh Robertson said.
Triesman’s resignation comes less than a month before England’s World Cup campaign opens against United States on June 12 and with The FA still searching for a new chief executive after Ian Watmore quit in March following a power struggle. |
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