(ATR) FIFA's top investigator Michael Garcia today quit in protest at the shambolic handling of his report that followed an 18-month investigation into allegations of possible corruption in the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding contest.
Garcia last month swiftly disowned a summary of his 430-page report by FIFA's ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, which cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption in the bidding race, claiming it was "erroneous and misleading."
Today, the former U.S. attorney accused Eckert of a cover-up, saying his "report identified serious and wide-ranging issues with the bidding and selection process."
He said the Nov. 13 "Eckert Decision," as he branded it, "made me lose confidence inthe independence of the adjudicatory chamber."
"It is the lack ofleadership on these issues within FIFA that leads me to conclude that myrole in this process is at an end," was Garcia's parting shot at FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
View Michael Garcia's Full Statement at World Football INSIDER.
Written by Mark Bisson
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