Wembley chiefs spent £6m more then they said they had.
The Football Association have revealed they spent £21million on England’s failed World Cup bid – £6million more than was expected.
The bid for the tournament ended in disaster last December, attracting only two FIFA members’ votes including that of British FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson.
The FA accounts have for the first time provided details on the total spending and income of the bid.
They show that although net spending was £14million, the total expenditure over two years was £21million.
The spending was offset by some public money – local authorities from bidding cities provided £2.5million – plus a further £4.5million coming from sponsors.
Until now it had been thought the expenditure on the bid had been £15million, including the public money.
Sports minister Hugh Robertson said he regretted the money had been spent on the 2018 bid because FIFA was intent on taking the World Cup to new territories.
England’s spending per vote won was the worst of any bidding country apart from Australia, who spent £28million on their 2022 campaign and won just a single vote.
The FA accounts also show overall turnover dropped in 2010 by £5million to £304million, mainly due to the collapse of Setanta, which cost £8million in income last year.
But there were signs the FA’s finances are working efficiently, with the organisation returning profit after tax of £9million compared to a £3 million loss in 2009.
“This has enabled the group to increase its reserves for the first time since 2006,” says the annual report.
The FA’s total cash balances increased by £10 million during the year and now stand at £75 million.
Income from the Club Wembley dropped by £5million to £60million, and income from events at Wembley fell by £6million to £12million due to fewer being staged.
Despite England’s disappointing display at the 2010 World Cup the FA earned £7million in prize money from the tournament in South Africa.
The FA cut investments in the game by £5million, with grants to the Football Foundation cut by £3million compared to 2009.
Other cuts included £3million from FA Cup television payments to clubs and prize money. The closure of the FA’s final salary pension scheme saved a further £2million.