The contents of a notorious note passed between two FIFA members has indicated that Spain/Portugal and Qatar's World Cup bids will escape any action over allegations of collusion.
At the last FIFA executive committee meeting, Spanish member Angel Villar Llona passed a note to his colleague Mohamed Bin Hammam, from Qatar, which was seen by other members. It can be revealed that the note stated just four words: "Congratulations, vamos a ganar" which translates as "We are going to win".
Chuck Blazer, the United States' FIFA executive committee member who saw the note, believes it related to Villar Llona being confident of escaping sanctions from FIFA's ethics committee over allegations of collusion, banned under bidding rules, rather than that the countries were going to win their bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.
Blazer told Press Association Sport: "It is more likely the note referred to the subject that the previous conversation had been about. That discussion had been about the ethics committee and the fact that nobody had provided any hard evidence [of collusion]."
The note was passed by Villar Llona during the FIFA executive meeting on October 29 in Zurich.
The revelations of the note has still infuriated rival bidders including England, who are up against Spain/Portugal, Russia and Holland/Belgium for 2018.
The note was also seen by another FIFA executive member, Michel D'Hooghe from Belgium. Both men speak Spanish and it is understood Bin Hammam actually asked Blazer to translate the Spanish phrase - the word 'Congratulations' was in English.
Blazer and D'Hooghe both represent countries who are also bidding for the World Cups.
Source: PA
