FA says no intentions of boycotting 2018, 2022 WCs over corruption bid allegations

The Football Association has revealed that it has no intentions of boycotting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar over corruption bid allegations.

Former FA chairman Lord Triesman called for members of UEFA to withdraw from future tournaments until FIFA made the bidding process more transparent. But FA general secretary Alex Horne insists that England would not use the threat of withdrawal to put pressure on the world football governing body.

Horne said that the World Cup is a fantastic tournament and they want to be playing in it, adding that to link the two issues is extreme. He said that he don't see them boycotting the World Cup, The BBC reported.

Triesman, who was initially appointed chairman of England's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup, said that world football's governing body FIFA would only root out possible corruption if pressured to do so by its European counterpart UEFA.

Triesman said that Russia would resist it, but the fact is that the most powerful of all continental football groups is in a position to influence FIFA.

FIFA released a 42-page summary report on 13 November into alleged corruption regarding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption.

However, United States attorney Michael Garcia, who conducted the two-year inquiry, said the summary report contained numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations.

Garcia and FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert have now agreed to allow the head of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, Domenico Scala, to access all of their findings.

Scala will then decide whether the full investigation is passed on to FIFA's Executive Committee, leaving the door open to a possible re-vote, the report added.