Fifa vice-president Issa Hayatou insists he will not allow bribery allegations to influence his voting.
No threat of backlash against England 2018, says vice-president
Fifa vice-president Issa Hayatou insists that he will not allow Panorama's bribery allegations to influence his World Cup voting.
Hayatou has insisted his innocence and has threatened legal action over a claim he accepted a £10,000 bribe in 1995, he says the money was given to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) towards their 40th anniversary celebrations.
England 2018 had high hopes of winning Hayatou's support in the Fifa executive committee's World Cup vote on Thursday, but there were fears they could suffer a backlash.
However, Hayatou said: "There is a big difference between Panorama and my relationship with the England bid, there is no confusion in my mind."
Secret payments
Panorama said that according to a list of secret payments made by now defunct marketing company ISL, Hayatou's name appeared next to a cash payment of 100,000 French francs in 1995.
Hayatou, from Cameroon, insisted that it was not a bribe, but a payment by CAF's former sponsors approved by the confederation's executive committee.
He added: "This money was not for me it was for the 40th anniversary of CAF.
"What Panorama also did is that they are saying I have been bribed now rather than something that happened 16 years ago.
"This was for the 40th anniversary of CAF. At that time ISL was the sponsor of CAF and they give the money to CAF and not to me, and the executive committee of CAF accepted it and approved it."
