England World Cup bid broke Fifa rules

The England 2018 World Cup bid team made a determined effort to win over former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner and “often accommodated his wishes, in apparent violation of bidding rules”, the Garcia report has found.

Fifa’s long-awaited report into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process was published by the world governing body yesterday.

The Football Association had lobbied to bring the World Cup to England in 2018, but was unsuccessful after being eliminated in the first round when receiving only two votes. The tournament went to Russia while Qatar secured the 2022 finals, with both decisions reached on December 2, 2010.