2018 team hails Fifa's decision to end Triesman probe
Triesman resigned just two days after England presented their 2018 bid book
England's 2018 World Cup bid team have welcomed Fifa's decision not to take action over the Lord Triesman scandal.
Triesman resigned as bid chairman after alleging Spain would drop their 2018 bid if rivals Russia helped bribe referees at this summer's World Cup.
After a short investigation, Fifa "found no indication that there is any basis to the allegations reported".
England 2018 said: "The FA and England 2018 welcome the final decision of the Fifa ethics committee investigation."
England's bid to host the tournament for the first time since 1966 was thrown into crisis after Triesman was caught making the allegations in a Sunday newspaper.
Triesman also stepped down as chairman of the Football Association, while the FA began a damage limitation exercise which included writing letters of apology to Fifa and the Spanish and Russian football federations.
In his statement to the Fifa investigation, Triesman claimed he had been commenting to a friend on "speculation circulating among journalists in Europe about conspiracies around the world" and that his allegations were "never intended to be taken seriously".
Fifa said it had also received correspondence from the Spanish and Russian associations before deciding to close its investigation.
WORLD CUP BIDDERS
Japan (2022 only)
Qatar (2022 only)
South Korea (2022 only)
"In the light of the above-mentioned circumstances, the chairman of the Fifa Ethics Committee has decided not to pursue this matter any further," the statement said.
"However, he emphasised that it is essential to the integrity, image and reputation of Fifa and the competitions that the conduct of the member associations and the bid committees during their bid preparations complies with the highest standards of ethical behaviour."
The FA and England 2018 released a joint statement which added: "England 2018 has always sought to conduct itself within the rules of the bidding process and will continue to do so."
Before Triesman's unwanted spell in the headlines, England's 2018 World Cup candidacy was generally viewed as having a good chance of success.
The revelations came only two days after the FA delegation submitted its 1,752-page bid book to Fifa.
A European bid is tipped to get the 2018 tournament with England up against Russia and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands.
The other bidders, although they are mainly focused on the 2022 tournament, are Australia, the United States, Japan, Qatar and South Korea.
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