Bribe Comments From the Top Hurt England's 2018/2022 Bid

After the release of a secretly recorded tape in which he suggested that Russia and Spain would try to collude and bribe their way into hosting an upcoming World Cup, the leader of England's Football Association and World Cup Bid Team has resigned. He claims the bribe comments were not meant to be taken seriously. England's bid team has issued formal apologies to the bid teams in Russia and Spain, and some now question whether this controversy will hurt England's chances of being selected as host of either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups. England was thought to be the favorite to win hosting duties for 2018.

The Mail on Sunday revelations came only two days after former England captain David Beckham had helped the FA submit a 1,752-page bid book as they try to persuade Fifa to award England the 2018 World Cup.

"I have decided to resign as chairman of the FA and the 2018 Bid board," Triesman said in a statement.

"A private conversation with someone whom I thought to be a friend was taped without my knowledge and passed to a national newspaper," he added, referring to former aide Melissa Jacobs, who met Triesman a fortnight ago.

Lord Triesman quits FA and 2018 World Cup bid jobs
BBC
May 16, 2010

Bribery Offer Reported by Stadium Construction Company

An official from a London-based construction company says the company was asked to pay a bribe of 20 million Rand (~$2.5 million) to secure a bid for a World Cup stadium.

The Daily Dispatch reported that two people allegedly approached Rumdel Construction with an offer to secure the R500-million contract for the company.

A representative of the company confirmed the incident took place, but declined to comment further for fear of the safety of his workers in the Mthatha area in the Eastern Cape.

Construction company linked to 2010 bribe
Independent Online
July 9, 2009

Crimes at Confederations Cup Bolster Security Concerns

Reports of crimes and security breaches during the recent Confederations Cup have bolstered the concerns of many who fear South Africa's high crime rate will be a blight on the upcoming World Cup. Officials, however, downplayed the recent crimes, which included some teams being robbed, journalists being mugged, and fans being forced to pay bribes to corrupt police.

Deputy security minister Fikile Mbalula downplayed concerns on Monday, saying the incidents were isolated and did not constitute any "major breach of security."

Crime threatens to mar Confed Cup
The Times
June 23, 2009