Fifa was tonight put under intense pressure to suspend the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups pending a full inquiry into alleged vote-selling by two senior officials.

Allegations that two key members of the executive committee which will decide the tournament hosts offered to sell their votes have prompted turmoil within the corridors of powers at Fifa's Zurich headquarters and provoked carefully suppressed anger among members of England's 2018 bid team.

The revelations have also caused a schism within football's world governing body over whether or not to postpone its vote, scheduled for 2 December, to determine the destinations of both World Cups while it investigates serious corruption allegations made in the Sunday Times today.

Although some high‑ranking figures within Fifa insist the vote should still take place as planned other senior officials are actively pressing for postponement. This chimes with the demands of a source close to the bidding process who told the Guardian that Fifa would have to suspend it pending a full inquiry.

Although privately furious to discover they may not have been competing on a level playing field, members of England's 2018 team were anxious not to derail a campaign they have poured considerable energy into by speaking out. "It's far too sensitive, politically," said a source. The public talking was left to William Hague, the foreign secretary, who said his government was "very disturbed".

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, who met David Cameron last week to discuss England's 2018 bid, has written to each of the 24 executive committee members promising an in-depth investigation and asking them to remain silent on the subject. One prominent member of the committee did speak out, however, and said the vote should still go ahead as planned. Chuck Blazer, based in New York, said he remained optimistic of a swift resolution and an early December vote. "It should not take the ethics committee very long to ascertain all the facts," said Blazer. "The date of 2 December was chosen specifically and I see no reason why this would be delayed."

As the debate about whether to shelve voting on 2 December raged on, Fifa's ethics committee embarked on an urgent investigation into the allegations about Nigeria's Amos Adamu, the president of the West African football union, and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii, the president of the Oceania Football Confederation.

Both men are members of Fifa's 24 man executive committee and reporters arranged meetings with them by posing as lobbyists for a consortium of private North American companies who wanted to take the World Cup to the United States.

The US, Australia, Qatar, Japan and South Korea are bidding for the 2022 tournament while England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and the Netherlands/Belgium are seeking to host the 2018 event. On Friday, the US, who had been competing on both fronts, withdrew from the race for 2018.

During meetings in London and Cairo, Adamu allegedly told journalists that he wanted £500,000 to build four artificial football pitches in Nigeria. He was caught on camera asking for funding to support a "personal project" but subsequently claimed he had been discussing post-World Cup business proposals in his home country and that his vote was not for sale.

Temarii is also alleged to have asked for a payment, in his case £1.5m to finance a sports academy, during a meeting in Auckland, New Zealand. The Oceania Football Federation has duly opened an emergency inquiry. In total u ndercover reporters spoke to six senior Fifa officials, past and present, who all suggested paying huge bribes to executive committee members.

While Temarii could not be contacted yesterday, Adamu refused to comment. The Nigerian's alleged involvement could spell bad news for England's 2018 chances as the country's bid team has been closely courting the four African votes.

As no African nation is involved in bidding for either tournament and therefore harbours no vested interests, the continent could hold the balance of power in the vote. Any potential suspension for the African confederation could consequently damage England's cause.

In a statement yesterday Fifa promised to "immediately analyse the material available" but added the rider that: "Only once this analysis has been concluded will we be able to decide on any potential next steps."

Whatever the voting time-frame, Hague will scrutinise Fifa's responses. "It's disturbing to read what we read in today's newspapers," said the foreign secretary. "These are serious allegations. We want all the proceedings in the World Cup bid to be carried out in a way that is ethically correct and that therefore means that everybody can respect the process and respect the result. Britain, whatever happens and whatever other countries do, will deal with this in a correct way, doing absolutely nothing corrupt, paying no bribes and not corrupting this system in any way."

Blazer offered a different perspective. "I have met five different bid committees," he said. "All have been totally professional, not alluding to any other types of benefit. I don't think people should get the wrong idea of the the Fifa process. The journalists have created a scam, a trap. But just because an English newspaper did this story I do not expect any anti-England backlash on the executive committee."