David Triesman resigns as FA chairman

London: Football Association chairman David Triesman resigned following a damaging newspaper report in which he suggested Spain and Russia were planning to bribe referees at next month`s World Cup finals.

On a dark day for the hierachy of English football, the FA said in a statement that the 66-year-old Triesman had left his post just hours after he stood down as head of the country`s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.Extracts of a secretly taped conversation between Triesman and a former aide from his time as a government minister were published by the Mail on Sunday, including the allegations about rival 2018 bidders Spain and Russia.Triesman became the FA`s first independent chairman in 2008. Bureau Report