01 December,2010 09:11 AM IST | | AFP
More claims of graft in world football marred the final stages of the race to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups last night, as Olympic chiefs vowed to probe one of their own officials caught up in the allegations.
The renewed allegations and action by the International Olympic Committee failed to dampen an intense lobbying drive by British prime minister David Cameron in Zurich to woo support for England's 2018 bid ahead of Thursday's vote.
But a spokesman for Vladimir Putin said that the Russian premier would follow in his rival's steps, as officials from Russia 2018 suggested that the members of the FIFA executive committee had already made up their mind.
Secret ballot
The final decision will be made in a secret ballot among the 22 top footballing officials on Thursday, the first time the hosts of two tournaments had been chosen at the same time. England, Russia and joint bids from Spain and Portugal and Holland and Belgium are competing for the 2018 World Cup, while Australia, the US, Qatar, Japan and South Korea are bidding for the 2022 tournament.
