Fifa to hold new review of World Cup corruption report
Published on: Saturday, November 22, 2014
ZURICH: World football body Fifa said Thursday it will hold a new review of an investigation into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, widening access to a report written by a former US prosecutor into alleged corruption.The step was announced after a meeting in Zurich between chief investigator Michael Garcia, who led an 18-month probe into the controversial campaigns of Russia and Qatar, and German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. The two have been at loggerheads over how much of the report should be made public.ADVERTISEMENT Under their new accord the whole report will be given to the head of Fifa's audit and compliance committee who would then decide how much detail should be given to Fifa's all powerful executive committee to decide any next steps.Eckert said last week that Garcia's investigation had not produced enough evidence to warrant a revote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. But Garcia protested that Eckert had misrepresented his findings and declared that he would appeal against the actions of Fifa's ethics judge.The Fifa leadership has also faced widespread pressure to allow the full publication of the investigation.Garcia and Eckert "agreed that it is of major importance that the Fifa Executive Committee has the information necessary to evaluate which steps are required based on the work done by the Fifa Ethics Committee," said a statement released after their meeting. ADVERTISEMENT "In order to achieve this, the chairman of the Fifa Audit and Compliance Committee (Dominic Scala) will receive full copies of all reports of the investigatory chamber ... to determine how much of that information should be made available to the Fifa Executive Committee. He then shall take the steps necessary to do so."
ADVERTISEMENT
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
Garcia and Eckert also offered to answer any questions that Scala might have, the two said.Garcia's investigation has already started cases against a number of individuals following the inquiry and the statement said any new review would not affect those cases. – AFP