Garcia report could leave Qatar’s World Cup in limbo

LAUSANNE —The evidence that could strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup has landed at FIFA.

The governing body of world football said yesterday that it had received three reports from ethics investigator Michael Garcia and his team after their year-long probe of alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.

Qatar and Russia, the 2018 host, were chosen in December 2010 by FIFA’s widely discredited executive committee.

FIFA did not say whether the 350-page report, drawing on 200,000 pages of evidence, has put Qatar’s hosting rights in question.

“The report sets forth detailed factual findings, reaches conclusions concerning further action with respect to certain individuals, identifies issues to be referred to other FIFA committees and makes recommendations for future bidding processes,’’ FIFA said in a statement.

Garcia sought to interview all the FIFA board members involved in the 2018 and 2022 bidding contests, though it is unclear how many cooperated.

Garcia and his team also met officials from all nine bidding candidates in a tour that started last October.

Garcia did not investigate Russia — where he is barred due to his previous work as a United States attorney — or America, which lost to Qatar in a final round of voting.

Separate probes into those bids were submitted by Cornel Borbely, a Swiss lawyer who is a deputy chairman of the ethics committee.

The reports, delayed since July, will now be examined by FIFA ethics judge Joachim Eckert, who can impose sanctions. It is unclear whether Eckert has the authority to remove hosts or order revotes.

He, however, can seek follow-up interviews or “return the final report to (Garcia’s) investigatory chamber for amendment or completion”, based on FIFA’s code of ethics.

FIFA gave Garcia and Eckert unlimited time and money to complete their probe of a subject that has dogged the body and threatened the image — though not the robust commercial strength — of its marquee tournament.

FIFA earned about US$4.5 billion from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and future broadcasting and sponsorship deals have also increased in value.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has insisted that only his ruling executive committee can change hosting decisions.

Eckert could apply sanctions against any of the nine bidding candidates, their staffers or officials who were FIFA executive committee members in 2010.

Russia beat England and joint bids from Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium for the 2018 tournament. Qatar beat the US 14-8 in a final round, after Australia, Japan and South Korea were eliminated.

Blatter has since acknowledged it was a mistake to run two contests at the same time because it invited collusion.

Within days of the vote, the integrity of Qatar’s bid was in question from suggestions that football could not be played in 40°C desert heat in June and July.

FIFA has since begun consultations to switch the traditional World Cup dates to cooler months, with a November kick-off favoured.

Qatar has been the subject of more damaging allegations, often from the British media and including whistle-blowers’ claims that it bought support and influence from FIFA voters.

Its World Cup organising committee has denied wrongdoing.

Qatari official Mohamed Hammam, a former longtime Blatter ally, was accused of bribing Caribbean voters during his failed bid for the FIFA presidency in 2011.

Hammam won a legal fight to overturn a FIFA life ban in that case, but was expelled again in 2012 over financial management when he was Asian Football Confederation president.

Several voters in 2010 have since resigned from FIFA while under investigation for financial wrongdoing and others have been subject to unproven allegations of seeking favours. AP