World Cup bid chief quits in bribes row

Lord Triesman also resigned from his high profile post as chairman of the Football Association following allegations that he made comments about Spain and Russia planning to bribe referees.

England's 2018 bid team has faxed apology letters to the Russian and Spanish football associations as it tries to rescue the World Cup bid following the revelations in the Mail on Sunday.

In a statement released through the FA, the peer announced his resignation and said he had been a victim of entrapment.

"Private conversation with someone whom I thought to be a friend was taped without my knowledge and passed to a national newspaper," he said.

"That same friend has also chosen to greatly exaggerate the extent of our friendship."

The former Government Minister's departure comes less than a month before England's players fly out to South Africa and just days after the high profile launch of England's 2018 bid in a 1,752-page book to Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, football's world governing body.

It had been reported that Lord Triesman suggested Spain might withdraw its bid to stage the 2018 finals if Russia, which also wants to host the event, helps it to bribe referees in next month's tournament..

The 66-year-old made the corruption claims to Melissa Jacobs, a civil servant he employed as a private secretary when he was a minister at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

The comments were made in a private conversation taped without his knowledge.

Lord Triesman's statement released last night added: "In that conversation I commented on speculation circulating about conspiracies around the world. Those comments were never intended to be taken seriously as indeed is the case with many private conversations.

"The views expressed were not the views of the 2018 bid board or the FA.

"Nobody should be under any misapprehension that the FA or 2018 bid board are disrespectful of other nations or Fifa and I regret any such inference that may have been drawn from what has been reported.

"The 2018 Fifa World Cup Bid has made enormous progress both around the world and in the technical bid in England. I wish everyone associated with FA all the very best for what is a very exciting future for the game we all love."

Vice-chairman Barry Bright, who will take on the role of acting chairman of the FA council and will chair this week's AGM, expressed "considerable regret at the circumstances of his departure".

New Sports Minister Hugh Robertson welcomed news that the peer was to stand down.

"It's entirely right that he should stand down and that the action should have been taken as quickly as is the case," he said.

England presented their bid book for the 2018 tournament to Fifa in Zurich on Friday and a decision on who will host the showpiece event is expected in December.

England, Russia, joint Spanish-Portuguese and Dutch-Belgian bids, Australia and the United States are the countries in contention as hosts for the 2018 World Cup.