FIFA launches criminal complaint over Russia and Qatar World Cups

In a statement just released by FIFA’s press office, the world football organisation has announced that it is lodging its own criminal complaint over the awarding of the World Cups to Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022.

Hans-Joachim Eckert had produced a summary exonerating FIFA from any wrongdoing, based on the investigative report of US Attorney Michael Garcia. Garcia immediately challenged that interpretation of his report.

FIFA has refused to publish Garcia’s report, stating that it would be illegal to do so. In Sepp Blatter’s own words:

” …if FIFA were to publish the report, we would be violating our own association law as well as state law.”

In an interview attached to the FIFA Press Release, Hans-Joachim Eckert, who was accused of whitewashing Garcia’s investigation said:

“During my analysis of the report from the chairman and deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, I came across indications that pointed to suspected unlawful activity in connection with Switzerland. In the circumstances, I saw it as my duty to bring this to the FIFA President’s attention and to recommend to him that the Swiss criminal prosecution authorities be informed.

I would like to point out that not once did my statement involve a so-called “whitewashing” of the award process with regard to the various allegations and assumptions made, contrary to what has been claimed in some quarters.

My statement was based on the Garcia report – I can only work with the material contained in it, and in my view, there was insufficient clear evidence of illegal or irregular conduct that would call into question the integrity of the award process as a whole.

However, in certain places, the report does indicate that further clarification is needed of certain circumstances. Much of this clarification work can be carried out by the FIFA Ethics Committee itself, while the remainder is the responsibility of the relevant national investigatory authorities.”

Sepp Blatter in a separate interview insisted this move proved FIFA had nothing to hide:

“If we had anything to hide, we would hardly be taking this matter to the Office of the Attorney General. FIFA’s internal bodies have done all they can within the scope of their capabilities, and they are continuing with their work. The matter will now also be looked at by an independent, state body, which shows that FIFA is not opposed to transparency.”

Here is the full text of the FIFA Release:

Awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting rights: FIFA lodges criminal complaint

Following the statement issued by the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert, on the report by the chairman and deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber, Judge Eckert has recommended to the FIFA President – in line with the FIFA Code of Ethics – that a criminal complaint be lodged with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland in Berne. This criminal complaint has been lodged today.

The subject of the criminal complaint is the possible misconduct of individual persons in connection with the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups investigated by Michael Garcia, chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee. In particular there seem to be grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took place, which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities. The reports compiled by Michael Garcia and Cornel Borbély will be made available to the Office of the Attorney General via Hans-Joachim Eckert.

Unlike FIFA’s bodies, the Swiss criminal prosecution authorities have the ability to conduct investigations under application of criminal procedural coercive measures.

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The move may or may not be connected to the weekend statement by the President of the German League who intimated that UEFA may leave FIFA if suspicions over the awarding of the two tournaments were not adressed