Triesman Report to Have Just 3 Days in front of Ethics Comm.

The English FA is scheduled to deliver its report on Lord Triesman’s allegations of unethical behaviour by four exco members during last year’s World Cup bidding process to FIFA by Friday, May 27.

However, the refusal to stand in front of the body by the ‘whistleblower’ who told the Sunday Times that Qatar had bribed FIFA members in exchange for votes may significantly undermine the report as those allegations had always been considered far more serious than the accusations levelled at individuals by Triesman.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter had said: “We are anxiously awaiting for these evidences or non-evidences in order that we can take the adequate steps. The newspaper has agreed that we will bring this whistleblower here to Zurich and then we will have an investigation of this.”

However FIFA has now stated that the whistleblower had pulled out “on legal advice.” In a statement, Qatar’s bid team said the evidence was “wholly unsupported” by any first-hand evidence.

It added: “These individuals… do not state when the alleged bribes were to be paid, how the negotiations with the individuals concerned had been conducted or crucially how they came to know of the alleged bribes. On any proper view, their evidence is worthless.”

FIFA’s ethic commission will have only a matter of three days in which to assess the strength of Triesman’s evidence against Ricardo Teixeira (Brazil), Nicolas Leoz (Paraguay and CONMEBOL president), Worawi Makudi (Thailand) and Jack Warner (CONCACAF president).