ZURICH, Switzerland (CMC):

Football's world governing body, FIFA, has asked the English FA to provide evidence of its executive members, including Trinidad and Tobago government minister Jack Warner, solicited favours in exchange for backing London's 2018 World Cup bid.

The move comes following Lord Triesman's controversial allegations on Tuesday before a parliamentary inquiry into the failed bid, that FIFA executives asked for 'bribes' in return for their votes.

"FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has today, 11 May 2011, sent a letter to The Football Association Chairman David Bernstein in which he, on behalf of FIFA, requests a complete report from Lord David Triesman (former Chairman of The FA) on the statements that he made yesterday in front of the House of Commons, as well as any and all documentary evidence at his disposal in relation to those statements," FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday.

extreme concern

"In his letter to The FA, the FIFA Secretary General expresses the extreme concern of FIFA and the FIFA President (Sepp Blatter) at the latest allegations questioning the integrity of some FIFA executive committee members in connection with the bidding procedure for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA world cups."

Lord Triesman, who resigned as chairman of the FA and England's bid committee last May amid controversy, accused Warner, a powerful FIFA vice-president, of asking for £2.5 million to build an educational centre in Trinidad.

He also claimed Warner wanted another £500,000 for Haiti's World Cup TV rights, with all monies to be channelled through him.

Triesman also levelled charges at other FIFA executive members Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi, accusing them of also wanting favours in exchange for votes.

Warner, also the president of CONCACAF, has rejected Lord Triesman's claims as 'nonsense', contending the former chairman of England's bid committee was trying to resurrect his political career.

During the bid campaign, Warner had been courted by England as they sought to secure CONCACAF votes.

Russia, however, were eventually granted the rights to host 2018 World Cup while England failed to make it past the first round of voting.