Fifa end Triesman investigation

FIFA will not pursue any further investigations into the Lord Triesman scandal, the world governing body announced today.

FIFA's ethics committee launched a probe into comments made by Triesman - and secretly recorded - alleging that Spain could drop its 2018 World Cup bid if rival bidder Russia helped bribe referees at this summer's World Cup.

However, the investigation found no evidence to support those claims, and the ethics committee will take no action either against England's 2018 bid.

FIFA said in a statement: "FIFA has found no indication that there is any basis to the allegations reported by Lord Triesman.

"In the light of the above-mentioned circumstances, the chairman of the FIFA ethics committee has decided not to pursue this matter any further.

"However, he emphasised that it is essential to the integrity, image and reputation of FIFA and the competitions that the conduct of the member associations and the bid committees during their bid preparations complies with the highest standards of ethical behaviour."