England bid team lament FIFA's 'broken promises'

England 2018's bid leaders claimed FIFA members broke their promises as bitter recriminations began over the first-round exit that saw Russia triumph.

England were eliminated with just two votes - Holland/Belgium secured four, Spain/Portugal seven and Russia nine in the first round.

Bid chief executive Andy Anson said FIFA members had lied about their votes and that £3m (€3.5m) spent on England's glowing technical report was money "down the drain".

A total of £15m (€17.7m) - FA money and cash from sponsors - was spent on the bid and Anson said: "David Dein, myself, David Cameron, David Beckham and Prince William were looking people in the eye and asking them for their vote and being told "yeah".

"I am not sure what else you could do."

Asked if the England bid team had been lied to, he replied: "I am not going to name names because that is not fair on individuals but clearly some people have. We thought we had more than six votes, perhaps seven or eight.

"The technical report is £3m (€3.5m) down the drain by the looks of it. We spent £3m on it and it was the best one. The two bids with the worst technical reports won."

Russia, who now have a huge stadium building project on their hands, then won an outright majority in the second round of voting.

In the 2022 contest, Qatar beat the United States in the final round of voting - another controversial decision for a desert country half the size of Wales, with no stadia and where June temperatures can top 50 degrees centigrade.

England 2018 leaders last month said that the bid had been damaged by a backlash against corruption investigations into FIFA members by BBC 'Panorama' and the Sunday Times, a view backed up by London mayor Boris Johnson.

He said: "Clearly there was a feeling in the England 2018 team that all the furore and all the hoo-hah in the media damaged our chances.

"It's very hard to draw any other conclusion after not progressing beyond the first round.

Johnson added pointedly: "FIFA can't last in it's current form."

Beckham however said he hoped the suggestions about the anti-England backlash over the media were wrong.

The England midfielder said: "I've heard the rumours that we lost due to the British press. I hope that isn't the reason. I believe in a free press and they are incredibly supportive of the game I love."

Questions are sure to be asked how England 2018 performed so badly - even in the failed 2006 bid they managed five first-round votes.

Brian Mawhinney, the former Football League chairman and bid vice-chairman, hinted that the FIFA process needs looking at.

"Questions do emerge," said Mawhinney. "There's a temptation to say all sorts of things, but not tonight.

"It seems to be a legitimate question if the process should be different next time."

Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore said the very fact England had so many top-class stadia already in place appeared to have counted against them.

Scudamore said: "Taking the World Cup to two new territories and, in Qatar's case, mentioning Arab countries - that was the driver.

"They have decided to take the World Cups to developing areas.

"What's gone against us is not having to build 20 new stadia. It almost feels as if we are on standby for when somebody can't host it.

"That's all very well - but on that basis we will never get it."