O presidente da Câmara de Julgamento da Comissão de Ética da FIFA, Hans-Joachim Eckert, apresentou suas conclusões sobre o 'relatório Garcia', investigação sobre as escolhas das sedes dos Mundiais de 2018 e 2022 a Rússia e Catar, e disse que não ficou comprovada corrupção.
A investigação de Michael Garcia revelou "alguns fatos que poderiam atentar contra a integridade do processo de atribuição dos Mundiais de 2018 e 2022", mas não suficientemente graves para colocar em dúvida a atribuição das sedes a Rússia e Catar, segundo o dirigente.
Eckert destacou que os atos irregulares evidenciados pelo relatório Garcia "são de alcance muito limitado" e "longe de alcançar um nível que implique retornar ao processo, ainda menos reabri-lo".
A decisão, destaca, "não seria de todas as formas competência do Comitê de Ética da Fifa".
Para Eckert e o Comitê de Ética, "a avaliação do processo de escolha das sedes dos Mundias de 2018 e 2022 está, portanto, concluído".
A Câmara de Investigação do Comitê de Ética informou a intenção de abrir procedimentos de investigação contra algumas pessoas.
O texto explica que os investigadores detectaram casos de possíveis violações do Código de Ética, mas não constataram ainda se as violações aconteceram realmente.
Engraçado é isto, todos sabem das propinas, menos a FIFA, vá entender.
Russia and Qatar can continue with their preparations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups after the chairman of FIFA'S adjudicatory chamber, Hans-Joachim Eckert, today (Thursday) cleared the two nations of impropriety in their bids for the events.
Eckert today formally ended an investigation into the bidding contests, almost four years after the vote by the scandal-hit executive committee of world football’s governing body. According to the report, no proof was found of bribes or voting pacts.
FIFA last month responded to repeated calls for ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia’s report into alleged corruption in the bidding process to be made public by stating that full publication was not legally possible. Garcia, the ethics investigator hired by FIFA, in September delivered his report following a year-long probe into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The independent ethics committee had said that the report “reaches conclusions concerning further action with respect to certain individuals” and debate over whether it should remain secret has intensified of late.
Despite finding wrongdoing among the 11 bidding nations for the two tournaments, Eckert today said the integrity of the votes was not affected. “The (Garcia) report identified certain occurrences that were suited to impair the integrity of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process,” Eckert said in a statement. “While the chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee fully concurs with the relevant findings, the occurrences at issue were, in the chairman's assessment, only of very limited scope.
“In particular, the effects of these occurrences on the bidding process as a whole were far from reaching any threshold that would require returning to the bidding process, let alone reopening it - a decision which anyway would not fall under the FIFA Ethics Committee's competence. The assessment of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process is therefore closed for the FIFA Ethics Committee.
“Such closure is however subject... to Ethics proceedings regarding specific officials based on indications of possible misconduct identified in the course of the investigation presently relevant and to any action that might be taken pursuant to the recommendations offered by the Investigatory Chamber in its report.”
However, Eckert did identify issues with both winning bids. Qatar's bid had “potentially problematic facts and circumstances,” plus a “significant lack of transparency” in its use of advisers. Computers leased for use by Russian bid officials were later destroyed.
Garcia was asked by Eckert to prosecute cases against individuals, but no names were revealed in today’s report. Eckert admitted the probe lacked “coercive means” to seize potential evidence such as “money and paper trails,” and had to rely on cooperation of witnesses. Yet of the 11 board members in 2010 who are no longer at FIFA, three declined to speak to Garcia and two could not be contacted.
Russia defeated bids from England, along with joint bids from Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium, to land the 2018 tournament. England, which was eliminated in the first round of voting having secured only two of 22 votes, received particular criticism in Eckert’s report. Netherlands-Belgium had no issues and Eckert did not include comments on the Spain-Portugal candidacy. However, this appeared to be the bid noted as the least cooperative with Garcia, according to reports.
Qatar defeated the US in a fourth round of voting for the 2022 World Cup, with South Korea, Japan and Australia having earlier fallen by the wayside. Australia was criticized for its consultants' behavior while the United States, Japan and South Korea received only minor comments with regards their bid processes.
Commenting on scepticism as to how Russia, and in particular Qatar, triumphed in the vote, Eckert added: “The perception for example, according to which a FIFA World Cup vote must have been 'bought' if the host selected is not the one that has been generally considered a favorite... is mere speculation and far from anything a judicial body like the FIFA Ethics Committee is allowed to accept as proof.”
Responding to Eckert’s report, FIFA said: “FIFA looks forward to continuing the preparations for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, which are already well underway. For the sake of further closure, Fifa supports the independent Ethics Committee with respect to their preparedness to potentially open future cases against officials based on the information obtained during this investigation.
“Finally, FIFA acknowledges the recommendations mentioned in the statement with regard to improving the bidding process for future FIFA World Cups, but also notes the comments of the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber regarding the bidding process for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups as ‘well-thought, robust and professional’.”
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