Bloomberg Claim England WC Bid Hired Spies, Blatter None the Wiser

May 10, 2011

After it was reported yesterday the the 2018 World Cup bid team of England had hired a private security firm to monitor the behaviour of their rivals, FIFA President Sepp Blatter looked to distance himself from the allegations.

News agency Bloomberg claimed yesterday, May 9, that sources had told them that the English officials reportedly asked the investigators to find out what other bidding nations were doing to gain the support of FIFA’s Executive Committee.

The English Football Association and its spokesman Julian Eccles declined to comment while Blatter maintained he was none the wiser to such rumours, stating: “I don’t know about it but for me the bidding process is finished and we must look forward.

“Spies? Like James Bond?

“In this game there are a lot of people who like to destroy something but it is a question of fair play. That is one of the things that was invented by British football. When we talk about fair play my first thought is always towards the four British Associations.”