England 2018's handbags have become "a symbol of derision, betrayal and embarrassment for me and my family", according to one of the men who will decide whether the World Cup finals return to these shores.

The row over the bid's £230 Mulberry freebies presented to the wives of Fifa executive-committee members last month has returned to haunt the Football Association after the organisation's vice-president, Jack Warner, yesterday revealed he was sending back the promotional gift.

The made-in-England handbag was presented to Mrs Warner last month by the former FA chairman, Geoff Thompson, at a dinner event in London. The couple were attending the Leaders in Football conference where Warner, president of Concacaf, was a guest speaker.

The goodwill gesture caused a furore at a time when England's 2018 team had hoped attention would focus on the unveiling of their star-studded team of ambassadors. Instead they found themselves defending the decision to dispatch 24 handbags.

In a furious letter to the bid chairman, David Triesman, Warner, one of Sepp Blatter's right-hand men, says: "Had [my wife] or I known then that the acceptance of what we all felt was a kind gesture would have resulted in the tainting of her character and mine together with the untold embarrassment to which we are still being subjected, none of us would have attended the dinner, nor would she have accepted what we thought was a gift in honour of her birthday." He added: "I have faced and continue to face all kinds of indignities from all manner of persons, but when these insults touch my wife, it represents an all time low."

Warner was incensed at media coverage of England 2018's purchase of the bags, the value of which was comfortably within Fifa guidelines over what is an acceptable gift from bidding nations.

Embarrassingly for England 2018 the email was copied to the Fifa general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, and Concacaf's other Fifa ex-co member, Chuck Blazer. It is understood that this is not the first time Warner has written to Lord Triesman on the matter. A previous letter requesting a statement from the FA chairman to counter coverage of Warner's acceptance of the gift is said to have gone unacknowledged.

"Equally disappointing is the deafening silence from you and the FA and which seems to support these allegations," Warner tells Triesman. "No one has sought to correct this betrayal in a way that would unequivocally remove any doubt or question not only in the global village at large but among my few peers where honour is valued and character is cherished.

"This malaise of my wife and I has been allowed to fester for too long much to our embarrassment and the embarrassment of the institutions which I represent. In this regard, therefore, there is only one recourse: a return of this gift, which has become a symbol of derision, betrayal and embarrassment for me and my family."

Warner says he "will continue to be a friend" of the FA but insists "there is nothing that your FA can offer me to get my vote". Warner adds: "If England does get it, it is because Concacaf and I sincerely believe that England is deserving of the honour."

There is no suggestion that England 2018's gift was designed to be an inducement for Warner's vote in the ballot next December, nor that it broke any rules. "Fifa have a set of guidelines for all bidders which includes direction on what constitutes an acceptable campaign gift," said England 2018 last month. "All our gifts are carefully chosen so as to be within both the spirit and letter of that law."

There is confidence at the Wembley bid headquarters that talks with Warner since the letter arrived have mollified the Fifa powerbroker and that an amiable meeting can be arranged with Triesman when the men are in South Africa for the Soccerex conference and World Cup draw in the coming weeks.

Three men and a dinner

With Lord Triesman, England 2018's chairman, a divisive figure, it is encouraging that others on the board are taking matters into their own hands. Lord Coe and Sir Keith Mills took Geoff Thompson out to dinner on Tuesday in a significant development for the bid. Since his appointment as chairman of the FA, Triesman has never called Thompson, his predecessor, which is believed to have alienated England's Fifa executive committee member. But Mills and Lord Coe were the most senior figures in the London 2012 campaign four years ago and their experience of sports politics means they recognise the value of having an insider in the voting constituency.

Arsenal trades up

After Stan Kroenke, right, took his shareholding in Arsenal to 29.6% on Tuesday, five more shares changed hands yesterday. Significantly, each one had a £1,000 premium on Kroenke's top price of £8,500. Who took them on is unknown, but at that money it suggests someone is hoping to get a better price if a takeover is launched. It could reflect the continued presence in the market of Alisher Usmanov, whose Red & White Holdings is approaching 26%. But with other significant shareholders avowedly aligned to Kroenke, if the billionaire Russian is the buyer, his picking up of expensive scraps smacks of desperation.

Etihad elation grounded

After the success of the Abu Dhabi grand prix, the race's title sponsor, Etihad Airways, yesterday suffered an embarrassing defeat in the high court over a previous Formula One sponsorship. The United Arab Emirates' airline pulled out of a five‑month-old deal with Spyker after Vijay Mallya took over the team and renamed them Force India in October 2007. Mallya also owns the rival airline Kingfisher and challenged Etihad's withdrawal through the courts. Force India were awarded £4.7m.