Where this was said
England Tries to Suppress the BBC — and Fails
At 36:23 · chapter starts 35:45
England's bid committee faced a dilemma: their own country's journalists were the ones exposing the FIFA corruption that could destroy the voting process. In early November 2010, senior bid officials reportedly met with the BBC's director general and asked him to suppress an upcoming investigation into FIFA's alleged corruption, arguing it would endanger England's hosting chances. The BBC flatly refused. When the programme aired, it alleged that three senior FIFA officials had accepted over $100 million in bribes during the 1990s in exchange for World Cup marketing rights — escalating the scandal far beyond the two suspended delegates. England's attempt to silence the press had backfired spectacularly, and their credibility with EXCO members suffered for it.
Fearing that press scrutiny would cost them votes, England's World Cup bid committee asked the BBC's director general to suppress an upcoming investigation into FIFA corruption. The BBC refused — and ran the piece anyway, exposing $100 million in alleged bribes to senior FIFA officials.
FIFA's own inspection reports flagged Russia and Qatar as the only two bidders rated medium and high risk, citing Russia's remoteness and Qatar's lethal summer heat. England and the US were rated as the best candidates. The winners were Russia and Qatar.
