Bidding process for 2018 and 2022 World Cups set for investigation
28 Aug 2012
Michael Garcia, head of the investigative chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee, has said the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar will be investigated as part of efforts to clean-up world football’s governing body.
American attorney Garcia and German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert were in July named as the joint chairmen of the Ethics Committee. FIFA president Sepp Blatter had stated that Garcia would be able to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in the past with no statute of limitations, opening up the possibility of further analysis into the controversy surrounding the awarding of the two World Cups. The December 2010 vote saw Russia hold off competition from Portugal/Spain, Belgium/Netherlands and England to win the 2018 World Cup, while Qatar secured the 2022 tournament ahead of the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
In an interview with German television network ARD, Garcia added that the award of the 2006 World Cup to Germany would also come under scrutiny, along with the infamous case surrounding FIFA’s former marketing partner ISL. Blatter came under-fire in July after a newspaper interview in which he seemed to suggest that the rights to host the 2006 World Cup might have been “bought”.
“If you look at things, it is clear there is something to investigate and that is what we are going to do,” Garcia told ARD, before stating that the conduct of Blatter himself will also be investigated. “The more important the person involved is, the more important it is to examine them as well,” he added.
