Fifa ethics chiefs agree to take 2018/2022 bidding probe to next step

FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert and investigator Michael Garcia met on Thursday and agreed on the next step for their probe into the bidding process for the 2018/2022 football World Cups. They decided that Garcia’s report on his investigation would be sent to the chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, Domenico Scala, who would in turn decide how much of the report would be sent to the FIFA executive committee. [caption id=“attachment_1726187” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] Eckert, head of the ethics committee’s adjudicatory chamber, said in a 42-page statement last week there were no grounds to reopen the bidding process which led to Russia and Qatar getting the tournaments run by FIFA, world soccer’s governing body. But FIFA was plunged into chaos when Garcia said Eckert’s statement on his 430-page report contained misrepresentations and that he would appeal to FIFA’s appeal committee. Eckert and Garcia said in Thursday’s joint statement: “Both chairmen 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. “The chairmen also offered to answer any questions the chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee and the Executive Committee might have.” The statement confirmed that “the investigatory chamber has already opened a number of formal cases against individuals as a result of that inquiry.” It said those cases would not be affected by Thursday’s development, nor by the recent referral of the reports to the Swiss Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. Switzerland’s attorney general last week confirmed the receipt of a complaint submitted by FIFA along with a copy of the Garcia report. “Both chairmen stressed the vital role of the FIFA Ethics Committee in ensuring the highest standards of ethics and governance at FIFA. “Irrespective of the independence of the two chambers, the two chairmen regard good communication as key to fulfilling that role.” Reuters