2018, 2022 WC bids 'completely corrupt', says top British MP

A top MP has revealed that the 2018 and 2022 World Cups bid is completely corrupt after allegations around the tournaments emerged.

England's 2018 World Cup bidding team is facing questions over a secret record, which contains claims of corruption by Qatar and Russia during the bidding process.

The British media has reported that a former MI6 operative and a team of investigators produced a file alleging that Russia and Qatar, the successful bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively, colluded to swap votes ahead of the secret ballot.

The team also claims that England and South Korea agreed to swap votes on the eve of the ballot, Sky News reported.

The allegations are contained in files handed to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select committee by British newspaper, The Sunday Times. The paper says that MPs were unaware of the record.

John Whittingdale, chair of the committee, said that questions need to be answered and added that a lot of it is reports and hearsay, it isn't necessarily hard evidence, it isn't proven.

But nevertheless, he said that when it's taken together with all the other evidence that has already been accumulated, it does paint a picture of a deeply corrupt organisation and that the whole of the bidding process was completely flawed.

On the allegation of a deal between England and South Korea, Whittingdale said that he believes what is alleged England to have been doing is mild compared to the allegations made against other nations.

However, he said that it's obviously serious and it is a breach of the rules and therefore they would want to know whether it's true and how the FA justifies it.

The record contains a raft of unproven allegations that a number of voting officials received financial or material incentives through the back door in exchange for votes.

The revelation comes in the wake of a report by US lawyer Michael Garcia, a summary of which cleared Qatar and Russia of any wrongdoing.

However, Garcia has said that the summary, which was written by a senior official on FIFA's ethics committee, is factually wrong and misrepresented his conclusions.